Readings for 9/28/14 | Pentecost 16/Proper 21A

• Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 and Psalm 25:1-9  
• Philippians 2:1-13  
• Matthew 21:23-32

Fearless First Responders, sermon by Pastor Fred Kinsey
Are you fearless?  Do you live your life confidently?  Or, hesitantly afraid of the unknown sneaking up on you from around the corner, out of nowhere?  What’s holding you back from being fearless?  Are you one of God’s Fearless First Responders?

Once upon a time, there was a man who bought himself a cemetery plot, and a lawn chair.  Then he took a week of vacation so that he could sit on his chair, on the beautifully manicured green lawn, amongst all the grave stones, in front of his brand new plot!  But it wasn’t because of the view, or because he was especially proud of his new property, like you might be, for example, buying a new house.  He did it because he wanted to, see his life from the point of view of his death – and his death from the point of view of his life. 

There are whole spirituality Retreats that take up the theme of, death and dying, of going deep into the meaning of life and death, so as to begin to unlock the mystery and meaning of faith and hope and love.  If we never take the time to come to terms with the fact that we are finite creatures, and that death is going to be in our future at some point(!), we will be prone to, as St Paul said, “selfish ambition and conceit.”  But in the face of death, we learn better who we are, and more importantly – we are not everything! 

5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

                 6who, though [being] in the form of God,

                did not regard equality with God

                as something to be exploited,

  7but emptied himself,…

  8[and] humbled himself.

As we begin our Fall Stewardship “Fearless First Responders” Campaign, we ask God to help us be of the same mind in Christ Jesus.  God fearlessly gave his only child, Jesus, to the world, knowing very well what might happen: humbling and emptying himself of the form of God, refusing to live his power in, selfish ambition or conceit – that the world just might eat him alive! 

This often puzzled the disciples.  Why don’t you fight back?  Why don’t you revitalize and reorganize the Jewish tradition of the Maccabees, who successfully rebelled against their Roman overlords and took Jerusalem and the Temple back, for a number of years!  Why do you insist on a war of words without weapons?  You courageously speak truth to the selfish and conceited powers now ruling us, like no one we have ever known!  But you let yourself be arrested and tried like a common criminal!  What’s up with that?  “He humbled himself,” as Paul said, “and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.” 

It is, Jesus-like, I think we could say, to take a week’s vacation and a lawn chair, and sit down in the proverbial spirituality retreat of contemplating your grave stone.  While to our American culture, this looks foolish or ridiculous, weak and unnecessary, to Jesus, and the followers of Jesus, it is an empowering obedience and necessary journey, on the way to finding our greatest strength! 

Are you fearless?  Are you a Fearless First Responder?  When the Twin Towers were aflame and billowing smoke into the beautiful blue sky of September 11th, why did First responders willingly enter those buildings?  Why did they climb so many steps up to so many floors, in pursuit of rescuing so many hundreds and thousands trying to flee?  Why do first responders – Police, and Fire fighters, and Rescue squads – risk their lives day-in and day-out on our streets of Chicago?  How do they continue to face their grave stones, in a real and raw risk-taking to save others? 

There’s probably lots of reasons.  Many are pedestrian.  It’s not, usually, to become a hero.  Maybe it’s just because a parent – a mother or father – did it before them.  Or maybe the pay seemed attractive, at least compared to working at Dunkin Donuts.  It’s hard to say.  Good training helps!  Helps to build a team, working together, and helps keep you safer. 

Do we know why we’re here today, in this place – an exercise which seems more and more irrelevant in today’s world, risky even?  Why do you worship?  What do you get out of it?  When did it first feel right to you, and why?  Do you come to save yourself?  Or do you come to be part of something bigger than yourself? 

Sharing the love of God takes more than just ourselves, individually.  You can’t sit at home all alone and experience love.  Love only happens in relationship with another, and in community, whether it’s human love or love from God.  And bringing love alive, takes sacrifice, self-sacrifice.  And I don’t mean Selflessness, which is always putting others first, a kind of reflexive care-taking of others, without seeing the bigger picture and knowing what the sacrifice if for.  Selflessness, will eventually lead to burn-out, and is the polar opposite of selfish ambition and conceit, which, of course, only cares for #1, and is given, way too many rewards in a capitalist society like ours, usually at the expense of those who are Selfless.  But Self-sacrifice has spent a week’s vacation with their gravestone, and acts clearly out of love for the betterment of God’s creation.  These, are God’s Fearless First Responders! 

First Responders are ready at all times to make a sacrifice in order that others may have life, and may live in community safely, to experience love – for that is the only way life and love, come back to us.  And without love, we might as well stay put in our lawn chairs, for life will feel like being trapped in the cemetery!  First Responders are willing to stand up to Selfish Ambition and conceit, and so do not give away their power in being selfless and stepped on.

As Jesus teaches us, there are those among the rich and powerful, then and now, who sow seeds of fear-fulness, an act of pure selfish ambition or conceit.  We have seen it more clearly in these times of economic recession, how Fear causes confusion about where our loyalties lie. And the power of this evil, only causes us to be poor Stewards, and to hold on to, or make impulse decisions, about our gifts of time, talent and treasure.

But Christ’s act of emptying and humbling, teaches us a better way.  One that sees our life from the point of view of our death – and our death from the point of view of our life – which is the way of God’s only-begotten Child, and the way of God’s Fearless First Responders.  And as we come to walk in this way, we learn fearless-living, fearless-giving, and fearless-service.

So, let’s review:  “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete” says St. Paul: “be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves” – be fearless in your living!

I suspect, it’s not out of selfish ambition or conceit that you are here today, nor out of self-destructive Selflessness, but to strengthen your Self-giving and sacrifice, as Christ teaches us, that you may see your life from the point of view of your death – and your death from the point of view of your life, and that you may be Fearless in your living, giving, and service.  And if you want, you can book your next vacation, and take that lawn chair, and fearlessly sit a spell with your gravestone!

Readings for September 14, 2014
Pentecost 14A

• Genesis 50:15-21 and Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13  
• Romans 14:1-12  
• Matthew 18:21-35

"Forgiveness" by Pastor Kinsey
Sometimes, forgiving even one time, is pretty hard! 

Today, Peter has a question about the Gospel story from last week, where Jesus teaches about how church members should take care to resolve difficult situations when someone sins against you.  First of all, by going to that person directly and discussing it; and if that fails, taking a witness or two with you, and hopefully that should do it.  But if not, bring it up to the whole church, at a called meeting of the whole Assembly.  And no one wants to go there!

Peter listens carefully, and has a rather interesting follow up question for Jesus, which is where our reading begins today:

I can see how forgiveness is so very important in community, says Peter, and how it keeps trust between one another.  But how many times do I have to forgive?  I mean, one time can be pretty hard, but I’m going to go big here and say, 7 times!? 

And Jesus is like, (thumbs pumping upwards) more. 

How about 17 times? 

Jesus is like – ya, keep going! 

 Are you kidding – 27 times, Jesus? 

Jesus says, try 77 times! 

No way, that’s like, too many to keep track of, says Peter it’s darn near impossible! 

Now you got it, says Jesus!  Forgiving, like God’s grace-filled forgiveness, is unbounded.  Forgiveness is foundational for community, the type of community that embodies the realm and kingdom-of-God-community. 

Then Jesus tells a parable about forgiveness.  A king wants to settle his accounts, and collect from all his debtors.  Kings did that, and, temple priests, even more.  The first guy owes him big bucks, 10,000 talents, which is an impossibly large sum, more than 150 years of wages for the average worker!  And as he could not pay it, the king orders him to be sold into debtor’s prison, which was what every priest and king did.  In Jesus’ time you’d be incarcerated until the Sabbatical year, the 7th year of a society-wide forgiveness, and all the debtor slaves in prison were set free! 

But the servant of the king fell on his knees asking for patience to repay his debt.  And the king had mercy and released him, and forgave him the debt!  Beautiful, right?!  How much should we forgive? 

Then Jesus gives us the surprise twist.  As soon as the servant gets set free, he goes out, runs into a guy owing him just 100 denarii – a relatively small amount, like three months wages – and this servant of the servant, begs for time to pay, just like he did with the king.  But mercilessly, he hands him over to the prison guards.  His colleagues, who no doubt were appalled, and afraid they’d be next, went and told on the unforgiving servant, to the king. 

And when the king heard it he had his secret service agents track down the servant he forgave.  And then the king told him, “'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?'  And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt." 

In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Some older versions say, forgive us our debts…!  Both are right.  The word in the bible, in the original language – can mean either sin or debt.  As we see in the parable, Jesus’ illustration of forgiveness – and its lack thereof – is about forgiveness of debt, money owed. 

The prophets, who preceded Jesus, also railed against those who profited off the people, making them debtor slaves and putting them in prison.  The rich concocted and proposed clever new laws for getting around the command against charging interest, at the expense of the poor.  The Mission Statement of Jesus, of course, which he openly borrowed from the prophet Isaiah, was “to proclaim release to the captives,” “to bring good news to the poor,” and “to let the oppressed go free!” 

It is no secret that domestic economics, then as now, are based on loans, and debts repaid.  Until recently, loans in our society, were largely structured so that most of us could actually repay them, unlike in Jesus’ time.  It seems like only a short time in history now – about 60 years – when borrowing to buy a home, or a car, was affordable for many, and steadily raised the standard of living.  Taxes were progressive, and the gap between rich and poor was reasonable.  Until, that is, the large banks twisted politicians arms in the 1980’s, to deregulate their industry, which all came to a head as they began to fail in the Great Recession of 2008, when the Collateralized Debt Obligations they constructed out of thin air, came due.  All debts come due, sooner or later.  And as Margaret Atwood has said in her book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, “[This is] the time when whatever is on one side of the balance is weighed against whatever is on the other side – whether it’s your debts, or your heart or your soul – and the final reckoning is made.”  Perhaps she had the king and his servant from Jesus’ parable in mind!

To save the economy in 2008, tax payers were called upon to forgive the failing banks.  Banks had caused the problem, as it would increasingly become clear.  They had rigged the game in their favor so that good paying jobs were already scarce, and they were fabulously rich, well before the Recession.  People were in debt like never before, trying to keep family together, and banks were loaning to people without anything much to back it up, as the bankers gambled on Wall Street with our money.  And here the word “sin” works best – the tax payers who now lost pensions and homes, were asked to forgive the bankers sins.  We were promised that if we bailed them out, they would save us and our economy. 

And then, as soon as the banks were forgiven, their sinking boats bailed out, they turned around, and told most everyone whose house was underwater, whose job was lost due to the Recession, to pay up!  No, we won’t forgive you!  Into debtors prison you go, they said mercilessly. 

And when we tried to tell the king that they weren’t forgiving as they had been forgiven, there was little more than lip service paid.  No one who sinned against us, was punished, or imprisoned, themselves.  As Woody Guthrie knew already back in the Great Depression of the 1930’s,

Yes, as through this world I've wandered

I've seen lots of funny men;

Some will rob you with a six-gun,

And some with a fountain pen.

[But] You won't never see an outlaw

Drive a family from their home.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  That’s how Matthew’s translation goes.  But when the servant who has power over his debtors does not forgive, Jesus is angry, he dramatizes what will happen to that one, in a society that honors justice – the tables will be turned, the lowly will be lifted up, and the mighty will be brought down. 

Forgiveness is hard enough for each of us individually.  But for the society we live in, it is structurally necessary, as well.  Otherwise, corruption continues to proliferate from the top down, which exploits individual forgiveness, creating a non-biblical, turning the cheek, to our abuser, kind of system.   Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors, Jesus taught us.  Forgiveness in an open society can only succeed if it is built on the power of love and justice – for all, from all.

Today I invite all of us to experience the forgiveness that comes from God, and from your neighbor, when your debts and your sins are canceled and wiped clean, and you are released!  Simply fill in the Forgiveness form, handed out.  And when you come to the table for holy communion you can give it to Trudy, and she’ll put it in the paper shredder, and shred it up!  [holding mine up]  I’ve filled out mine, and I encourage you to try it too!

Forgiveness is hard, sometimes even, one time.  But a more loving and just society, where each of us lives richer and more deeply spiritual lives, one that lives into the realm and kingdom of God, is often, hard work.  We don’t count the number of times we forgive, literally.  Jesus does not condone bean counters, or those rigidly and heartlessly enforcing the rules.  Forgiveness, Jesus suggests, is way of life.  We forgive, because God forgives us, in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  We forgive, because others forgive us, as the Lord’s Prayer goes.  When that is happening, shalom and life can flow, and we can grow in grace.  This, then, is the feast of victory for our God!  

Readings for Sept 7, 2014
Pentecost 13 | Proper 18 | Lectionary 23A
Click on links below:

• Ezekiel 33:7-11 and Psalm 119:33-40  
• Romans 13:8-14 
• Matthew 18:15-20

Law and Love, Pastor Kinsey
“Owe no one anything, except to love one another;” says St Paul, “for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” 

The Commandments, perhaps the showcase of the law, as Paul talks about them, are deceptive in their simplicity.  We often say the first ones are the hardest to keep, and they get smaller and easier as you go down the list.  But have you ever tried going through the day, even one hour, without coveting something of your neighbor’s, the 10th and last Commandment? 

The author A.J. Jacobs did just that, and realized, it’s darn near impossible!  And he wrote a book about it called, “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.”  A.J. Jacobs tried to follow all the laws in the bible, over 700 he found, including the 10 Commandments.  His book is said to be, a very funny and poignant read.  Jacobs grew up in a Jewish household, he says, but we were only a Jewish family, like the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant! 

Some laws he found more logical than others.  As an agnostic and a work-a-holic, he was pleasantly surprised that, “Keeping the Sabbath” actually did what it was intended to do, give him a holy and a set-apart-space, in his life, a “sanctuary in time.”  Or, the precept from Ecclesiastes 9:8, “Let your garments be always white.”  Jacobs followed this literally, he said, by wearing white pants, a white shirt and a white jacket.  And he said, he felt lighter, happier, and purer, which was one of the best things he did all year.

Among the Most Baffling Rules, especially to our 21st century minds, Jacobs found, was, You shall not wear a “garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.” (Leviticus 19:19).  That pretty much excludes everything we wear today, except very expensive linen, or wool only, suits and dresses.

There were also, Rules That I Successfully Kept The Entire Year Without Violating Even Once, for example, Leviticus 18:18, “You shall not marry your wife’s sister”!  And, Most Difficult Rules to Follow, like, Leviticus 19:27, “You shall not trim the corners of your beard.”  And, Rules Violated At Least One Time Per Day, like, “Be slow to anger,” Proverbs 19:11, and the 10th Command: “You Shall Not Covet,” which, Jacob’s says, is like asking someone, not to breathe! 

Jacobs’ plan was to follow the bible as literally as possible for a whole year.  He also spent time embedded with various fundamentalist groups, from creationists to snake handlers, Hasidim to the Amish.  Doing that, however, he found that even Fundamentalists don’t follow everything in the bible literally, but they end up picking and choosing. 

Jacobs was also aware that having never been formed in the faith before, he’d need to have a plan to take the spiritual requirements and precepts seriously.  So he went on the theory that Counselors and therapists use, called, cognitive dissonance.  If you behave in a certain way, your beliefs will eventually change, to conform to your behavior.  If you act like you’re faithful, and God loving, for several months, it may be that you will become, faithful and God loving.  If you pray every day, then maybe you’ll start to believe in the Being to whom you’re praying.  Practicing this over the course of a year’s time, he finds that, in large part, it works, that his behavior and practice has a definite impact on his beliefs and his attitudes, like the surprising positive effect of Ecclesiastes 9:8, “Let your garments be always white.”

All this makes him wonder, what comes first—one’s actions or one’s beliefs?  The chicken or the egg? 

Well, if you read Paul’s letter to the Romans, or any of his writings, the surprising answer is – neither one, comes first!  Action doesn’t come first, nor does belief. What comes first is the love of God!

“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” says Paul, and like always wearing white, you’ll learn how God’s love can be, and is, the initiator of both our beliefs and actions!  Put on Christ, and your actions will always follow your beliefs – and your beliefs will follow your actions – because of the unbounded grace and love which comes unmerited to us, in Christ Jesus. 

“Love does no wrong to a neighbor;” Paul concludes, “therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law,” Romans 13:10.  Not knowing Mr. Jacobs, it would be wrong for me to say that, in his book, The Year of Living Biblically, he has rediscovered St. Paul’s insight into the bible.  But there does seem to be agreement between the two of them, that following every law is darn near impossible.  St. Paul would say that this does not take away from the holiness of God’s Law, with a capital L, but that it is human sin, which makes the commandments deadly!  The solution, however, is not to dump the Law, but to deal with human sin.   

Elizabeth Eaton, the presiding bishop of the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has declared – if bishop’s can do that, declare stuff!? – that today is “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday!  And Lutheran parishes across the country have signed up for service projects, from gardening to soup kitchens.  Here at Unity we’re reaching out with Voter Registration.  This is a non-partisan action, partnering with the community organization, ONE Northside.  We don’t favor any candidates or parties.  But our work in the world, as a people of faith, includes participating in government, and all institutions, which Martin Luther said was ‘our calling in the world’. 

Participating in democracy – our form of government, of, and by the people – is often hard work, which is not unlike, fulfilling the law of love, that Paul talks about.  It may seem easy on the surface, to sum up the commandments with, “love your neighbor as yourself,” – it is a kind of liberation, after all – but it is also a whole new challenge.  The law of love often means writing a whole new script.  In each and every situation, we must find where the loving thing to do, lies.  The ‘rule of love’ is hard even in our own faith community, where everyone is welcome, but which, on the ground, means people we don’t know, with different backgrounds and experiences and cultures are suddenly our neighbor, our friend and pew-mate.  “Thou shalt not kill,” it turns out, may be lots easier than ‘loving’ the person right next to us, reaching out a hand in friendship, accepting them as, an equally loved guest at the Table of Grace, sent by God! 

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another;” says St Paul, “for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”  Formed in the faith, we know how love comes from God, who loves us unconditionally, and we find that living in community, with other believers, can be, and is, a great place to find support and grow, and to reach out to make the whole world a more loving and just place. 

Let’s go out and register voters, then!  That’s one way to live our values, and love our neighbor as ourselves.  God has freed us up for the law of love – and, freed-up, we don’t owe anyone, our debts are cleared – and we learn to love more deeply, and for the sake of God’s created, and very good, world.