Readings for November 27, 2016 
First Sunday of Advent | Baptism of Amelia Jane

• Isaiah 2:1-5  
• Psalm 122  
• Romans 13:11-14  
• Matthew 24:36-44

Awake, Pr. Fred Kinsey
We live in an in-between time, in this season of Advent.  As a baptized people, we live in-between Christ’s first and second coming – (however you internalize that).  We live in-between the resurrection of the Lord, and the promise of new life arising for all believers.  We live in an-in-between time – having hope that “the kingdom of God will come on earth, as it is in heaven.” 
 
All parents know what it’s like to live in an in-between time – waiting for the new life that is coming – the day when their child arrives.  A birth or adoption, is the in-breaking of a whole new way of life for parents.  And the waiting for that is an in-between time that is filled with hope and anticipation. 
 
We have been preparing and waiting for ‘this day’ too, for the sacrament of Holy Baptism for Amelia Jane Flachsbart this morning.  And like birth, and the coming realm and kingdom of God, the in-breaking of the Holy Spirit is wonderful gift we cannot wholly perceive, but when it arrives – changes everything!  However prepared you want to be, the arrival, the coming, always bring the unexpected, just like, the days of Noah were when the normal everyday eating and drinking, and marrying were interrupted, and Noah and his family were suddenly living, in a house-boat!  So can the in-between waiting-time for parents be swept away into a whole new life! 
 
Not that I would know!  I’m child-free!  Though I have had times, mini-plunges, like taking care of my nieces and nephews, and more than a few youth retreats in my first call.  And the literature, of course, abounds in stories of young parents being changed by the birth of a child, in surprising, and unpredictable ways.  But of course, like grandparents, I could always return the children at the end of the day – or week, at the most.  Anyway, I wouldn’t take offense, if you didn’t trust me as a parental expert!  
 
But, for instance, what I’ve heard most new parents say is, the luxury of ‘sleep and a shower’ is something they can no longer afford after their child arrives.  Infants sleep a few hours at a time, and then – if we’re real – mostly eat and poop in between, and that tends to change an adults’ normal routine! 
 
No one can anticipate how all-consuming those early days, and years, of child care can be – but it’s like night and day!  Your focus is your child now, instead of yourself, and that can be both beautiful, and frightening.  Wonderfully beautiful for the miracle you hold in your hands, but a frightful fog in finding a new balance that includes your own personal needs, whether work, exercise, cooking, or, if you’re lucky, the occasional date night.  Everything needs to be renegotiated, in the new realm called parenthood!
 
Some first time parents find a new appreciation for their parents.  New mom, Kelly Johnson posted about this.  “'Wow, so this is how much my mom loves me!' My love for my own child is so visceral,” she wrote, “it made me appreciate my own mom so much more.” 
 
So much of life, is that in-between waiting-time, and then in an instant, everything can change overnight!  As a second child myself, in a family of four, my mom always told me that my birth was way late.  Like a week or ten days past my mom’s due date!  But when the day finally arrived, she said, I came out really fast! 
 
This season of Advent is about the in-between waiting time.  Waiting in hope, and waiting for peace, for joy, and for love, to be born into our world.  Like the anticipation of a new child, we don’t know when the 2nd coming of our Lord will be, exactly!  “…about that day and hour no one knows,” says Jesus in our gospel reading, “neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” 
 
And whether you believe in a literal Second Coming that could arrive any day, or some more gradual in-breaking of the reign of God, I think as a Baptized People we can stipulate, that we’re all living in an in-between time right now, before the time when heaven and earth are fully redeemed. 
 
“Keep awake, therefore,” Jesus cautions, “for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”  That, keeping awake, being aware, appreciating the promise we have already in Christ Jesus, is our calling.  I really appreciate the new phrase that has arisen thru social media these days about the importance of keeping awake – Stay woke, which really captures the urgency, I think!  It’s a call to be in the moment and be awake to social injustice, especially the structural racism that continues to live in all our institutions. Like the anticipated in-breaking of the realm and kingdom of God, it’s a call to be aware!  To get ready even now!  This in-between waiting time is the time to keep awake and make preparations.
 
Our faith, says Jesus, is about keeping awake to the reality of what Christ has already inaugurated and birthed into our world and our lives, and the promise of God’s realm that is coming, through the grace of God, and through our lives, through the baptized, through the Body of Christ, and into this world God loves. 
 
“43… understand this,” says Jesus, “if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.  44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”  (Stay woke!)
 
Sometimes parents relax when they are expecting a 2nd child, understandably so, now that they come to it, with real firsthand experience.  But second-time parents sometimes say they were surprised all over again, not prepared for a 2nd child that is so different from the first, as if they had to learn parenting techniques all over again. 
 
I understand that Maddie, Amelia’s older sister, has been attentive and proud of her younger sister, since day one!  She waited with patience, and is gentle, and protective, and helpful with Amelia.  What a beautiful gift for parents to have!  That too, may have arrived beyond expectations! 
 
Keeping awake to the in-breaking of the realm and presence of God in our lives is no easy feat, but one made easier by the arrival, the 1st coming of Christ Jesus, a teacher and model of a life well lived, who fits us in our baptismal journey’s, for the kingdom of God we long for. 
 
At this baptismal font, the fullness of God’s grace comes to Amelia and all the baptized, today, and arrives in the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, our Guide, each and every day, in this in-between time – awake in our waiting!  

Readings for November 20, 2016 + Reign of Christ/Christ the King Sunday

• Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Psalm 46 
• Colossians 1:11-20  
• Luke 23:33-43

"Leadership," by Pastor Kinsey
Jesus acquired a great many titles to his name in his short, 3 year career.  Among them, Messiah, King of the Jews, Son of David, Chosen One, Rabbi, Son of Man, Shepherd, and Son of God.  The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, predicted in our First Reading today, that out of Israel’s devastation in the Exile, the LORD would raise up a righteous Branch in the blood line of King David, one who would reign wisely, and execute justice and righteousness in the land.  The name of this one would be “The LORD is our righteousness.”  A title we Christians also think fits well for Jesus.
 
Today, on this festival, on this last Sunday of the church year, we call him, Christ the King.  We remember that Jesus the Christ reigns from the right hand of God, on equal footing – or seating, I guess – with God the Creator.  In Paradise – in that relationship to God and us – Jesus is our king, the crucified and risen one, who helps us to execute justice and righteousness in our land. 
 
And so, in the gospel of Luke, Christ the King is best described in the story of his crucifixion.  Jesus, our King, holds court in the place of the Skull, just outside the city wall of Jerusalem, a hill of rock, that looked like a cranium or skull, and could very well have had skulls scattered around from previous crucifixions.  This public place, near one of the city gates where the masses of pilgrims entered and exited the city – which for Jesus and the 2 criminals took place at high noon on Passover – was chosen by the Romans so that all could attend the spectacle, ensuring it had the state’s desired effect of fear and terror. 
 
And it is here at Golgotha, that Jesus offers a radically different vision of leadership, than what we all too often see, in the public realm of our leaders, then or now. 
 
Last year, a woman by the name of Kelly Gissendaner was on death row in a Georgia state prison.  She was convicted for plotting the murder of her husband, Douglas, in 1997.  While she was in prison, Kelly converted to Christianity, and not just in name only.  But she received a theology degree from Emory University and shared her faith with other inmates, transforming many, and even saving a few from suicide.  Her conversion was real, powerful and heartfelt.
 
As Kelly’s day of execution drew nearer, many that knew Kelly came forward to testify on the record, to her faith, pleading for clemency with the state of Georgia.  There were former inmates she’d helped, and even correctional officers.  Her children too spoke up to support her, even though it was by their mother’s actions that they had lost their father.  There was a social media campaign, and even Pope Francis testified on behalf of Kelly.  But in the end, all appeals for her sentence to be commuted to, life in prison, were denied, and on September 30th last year, the state of Georgia followed through on its intent, of, “an eye for an eye,” and carried out Kelly’s execution. 
 
“When [the soldiers, and leaders, and bystanders] came to the place that is called the Skull” – they came to rid the empire of a pesky prophet.  But instead, Jesus offers the world a radically different vision of leadership than what we all too often see in the public realm, then or now. 
 
There is barely any description of the mechanics, and brutality of Jesus’ crucifixion, in Luke’s gospel.  Instead, the story the Evangelist tells, is told through God’s eyes.  A story about us, about the people who were there, who could have been us.  All the text says is – there they crucified Jesus with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 
 
The 2nd verse of the text, is footnoted.  It’s one of those verses that isn’t found in the very earliest manuscripts, and therefore may not have been original.  And yet, it is there today because, I think, even if it was inserted years later, it just seems to fit, it seems to apply – If you know the whole gospel story, that is, and particularly how this crucifixion scene ends!  When Jesus is crucified between the two criminals, Jesus says, in the 2nd verse, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”  As he is being nailed to the cross, Jesus is merciful. 
 
There are then three instances of mocking Jesus on the cross, one after the other. First it is the leaders of Jerusalem.  The scoff at him saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!”  Then it’s the soldiers turn.  They mock him by offering him sour wine, and say, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”  And Luke then points out, to us, the readers, that, “there was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’” 
 
And thirdly, as the circle of accusers closes in on Jesus, one of the criminals on the cross right next to Jesus keeps blaspheming and mocking him, finally saying, “are you not the Messiah?  Save yourself and us!” 
 
The irony hangs heavy in the air, as we understand the titles of Messiah, and King of the Jews, which his accusers use against Jesus, are really the titles we believe best describe our Savior.  What kind of a leader and Savior is Jesus?
 
It is the other criminal, finally, who stands up for Jesus – and, speaks for us.  “Do you not fear God,” the 2nd criminal says to the first, “since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”  He is innocent.
 
Yes!  He gets it!  Jesus has been, and always will, stand with the innocently accused, and exposes the powerful ones who exploit God’s world, for their own personal gain.  This place of the Skull, this place of state sanctioned death, doesn’t have to kill and control through terror and fear.  That is a choice we make.  And, in fact it’s not the state of things, as God ordains it, not the laws God commands. 
 
But never has this story, long repeated by the rich and powerful, been told from the perspective of the innocent one, the Messiah, the King of the Jews!  Now, Jesus tells us a new story about leadership.  Victory is mine, sayeth the LORD! 
 
And finally, the second criminal, hanging from his cross, addresses the Savior on his, without any mocking title, using only his name.  “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  Is this plea a confession?  We don’t know what he was convicted for, anyway.  But Jesus doesn’t hesitate.  He answers much quicker even than the state of Georgia had time for, in deciding the fate of Kelly Gessendaner.  “Truly I tell you,” says Jesus, “today you will be with me in Paradise.”  The common Jewish expression, Paradise, signified for the righteous, a realm of eternal bliss after death, in the presence of God. 
 
From the place of the Skull, there is a forgiveness and mercy that is created for God’s world by Jesus, that is wider than an ocean.  Jesus himself, ‘passes’ on saving himself, because it is through the cross, that salvation is accomplished for us and God’s creation.  The skull, the cross, and death itself, are conquered, and a way out of slavery and oppression, is revealed.  The innocent one writes a new story, which the four evangelists, and all Jesus’ followers, tell.  We find our life, and our salvation in the crucified-innocent one. 
 
At Golgotha, Jesus offers a radically different vision of leadership than what we all too often see in the public realm, then and now – leadership, beyond lies and bullying!  No more “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”  Now we see through the eyes of our Savior and LORD.  Let us testify to the life that rises from the skull and specter of death, that Jesus, even at Golgotha, is Christ the King.  

Readings for Sunday November 13, 2016 | Pentecost 26

• Malachi 4:1-2a and Psalm 98  
• 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13  
• Luke 21:5-19

"Testimony Through Tears," by Pastor Fred
“See, the day is coming, raging like a forest fire,” says the prophet Malachi. “All the arrogant people who do evil things will be burned up like stove wood, burned to a crisp, nothing left but scorched earth and ash – on that day,” according to The Message translation.  “But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” 
 
Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament.  And the last of what are called, the 12 Minor Prophets, much shorter books than Isaiah or Jeremiah, but familiar to us in other Minor Prophets, like Amos, Jonah and Micah at this time of year, as our lectionary readings lift up the end times and the season of Advent’s Second Coming of Christ. 
 
Our reading today in not only from the last book of the Hebrew Scriptures, but is from the very last chapter of the Old Testament.  And the concluding two verses of Malachi, right after our reading, promise that God will send Elijah, just before the end, who will restore parents and children and families, so that God will not have to “strike the land with a curse.”  And as you turn the page to the New Testament and read from the gospel of Matthew, we find that Christians believe John the Baptist is Elijah returning.
 
Those of the Book Discussion group, who are currently reading, “Facing Decline, Finding Hope,” will understand the times that Malachi lived in – because it wasn’t long after Ezra and Nehemiah, having come back from the Babylonian captivity in the Exile, rebuilt the Temple that had been destroyed.  Ezra and Nehemiah were the ones who, basically, wanted to return to the good ol’ days, insisting that rebuilding the Temple and restoring the office of the priests, would curry God’s favor.  Unfortunately, it only led to the same old corruption and weakness in all their institutions, in the 4 centuries leading up to John, and the birth of Jesus. 
 
So, the 12 Minor Prophets detail all the ways, that the path Ezra and Nehemiah laid out, were not pleasing to the Lord, ending with this zinger from our Malachi reading today: “See, the day is coming, raging like a forest fire. All the arrogant people who do evil things will be burned up like stove wood, burned to a crisp, nothing left but scorched earth and ash – on that day,” yet at the same time holding out hope that, “the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” 
 
It’s interesting that the New Testament ends with a similar sentiment in the last chapter of the book of Revelation: “For the time is near,” says John.  “Let evildoers do their worst… but let the righteous maintain a straight course…”  For “on either side of the river is the tree of life… and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” 
 
Jesus weighs in on this end time discussion, in our gospel reading today, with his own take on the apocalyptic signs in Luke 21, mapping out, not only our relationship to God, but what the people of faith and hope should do. 
 
Jesus makes a startling prediction that the beautiful temple, which Ezra and Nehemiah had rebuilt – at least started to rebuild, for by Jesus’ time, it was the Herod family who had really taken on finishing the project and turning it into its shining #1 status, just as Jesus was being born.  Take a good look at the Temple, says Jesus, “the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”  This was shocking news, not only for its violent overtones, but because of how central the temple was as a symbol of Judaism.  Sure, there are corruptions by some of the priests, the disciples would have said, but let’s not go all extreme here, Jesus! 
 
But, let’s say you’re right, Teacher, his disciples answer disbelieving.  Then, when will this be?  Of course, we know now that this is Luke’s take on what Jesus said, some 15 years after the temple had already been destroyed.  Tired of Jewish Sicarii freedom fighters, the Romans decided to show their power and put an end to the terrorism, and Maccabee reign, in the year 70AD.  Knowing this, I think, makes Jesus’ response to the disciples more understandable, because he doesn’t answer when the beautiful stones and golden gilded temple will come down.  Jesus talks about, what not to trust in, as the sign of the end – that is, beware of pretenders to the throne!  They will come with a dark and scary picture of what the world is turning into – “do not go after them!”  People will point out things, like all the wars and insurrections, the earthquakes and famines, taking place, and try to scare you that this means the end – “do not be terrified,” says Jesus. 
 
Here’s the thing. Even before all this occurs, according to Jesus, they will arrest you … and bring you before the authorities.  But – this, he says – will give you an opportunity – an opportunity to testify! 
 
This week I heard the testimony of many neighbors in our community.  And many people are saying they are afraid.  Maybe in 15 years they will be ready to hear Jesus’ words, “do not be terrified.”  Hopefully sooner!  But today, this week, in wake and shock of Tuesday’s news, their world became more fragile and targeted.  Children in schools are afraid.  Families who have been working hard, and love this country and pay their taxes like you and I, but don’t have the proper documents yet, are afraid.  Women wearing the Hijab are naturally afraid, who have already been attacked and endure ugly slurs.  Those who identify as Trans and Queer, are trembling in fear, just because of who they are.  People of color have once again been targeted too. 
 
President Obama’s noble and welcoming nature is a beautiful thing to behold.  Of course, it’s part of his job, to ensure a peaceful transition of power, a hallmark of this, the oldest democracy in the world.  But this cannot erase the fear for the apocalyptic promises that were made by the incoming administration. 
 
Let us not forget we live in two America’s, two worlds.  And this was true before Tuesday, just as it remains so after.  And for the people of faith, who care about the country we are citizens of – the work of facing our decline and finding hope is the same today as it was before.  The work of dismantling racism, sexism, classism and a culture of war, is still the same today as it was last week.  We can hope for moral and sensible policies all of us can work on together, that is the nature of our faith.  But we also must be wise as serpents, not to be led astray.
 
And so, we as the people of faith, have a responsibility.  We are to be healers, and peacemakers, yes?!  There is no way forward for us, except through the grace of God.  There is no way forward, except for speaking the truth in love.  There is no way forward, without reaching out, and standing together, resisting the division that causes the same injustices we are experiencing in our beloved country, today, as much as yesterday. 
 
“Beware that you are not led astray,” said Jesus.  The end, is not, a scary apocalyptic cataclysm, that false leaders will temp you towards.  The end is ‘that day’ when we no longer have the courage to stand up and testify to our baptism in Christ Jesus, to our lord and savior.  “So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance;” Jesus said, ”for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.” 
 
“Our opponents,” are always the ones who try to divide us, giving us false choices, that somehow leave them in control of all the cards, and resources.  If we’ve learned anything from the gospel of Luke this year, it’s that Jesus came to mark the reversal of this false kingdom, and to lift up the poor, restore sight to the blind, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, the realm and kingdom of God that stands shoulder to shoulder with the downtrodden and oppressed ones, and empowers us all to follow in his footsteps. 
 
When we testify to this, says Jesus – “not a hair of your head will perish.”  And, “the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.”  

Readings for All Saints Sunday, November 6, 2016

• Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 and Psalm 149  
• Ephesians 1:11-23  
• Luke 6:20-31

New Reality, by Pastor Kinsey
Welcome to the new reality, here in Chicago.  Your Cubbies are World Series Champions!  No more curse.  No more lovable losers.  No more waiting till next year.  No more sorrow or sighing or dying, anymore!
 
The whole city, seemed to come out and celebrate on Friday, overwhelming CTA and Metra trains – an estimated 5 million fans – Holy Cow! 
 
It was a perfect day for a parade, eternal sunshine and blue skies to match all the blue uniforms.  All joining in the song of our hearts, Go Cubs Go, resounding from Wrigley Field to Grant Park.  For those who couldn’t quite believe yet – and for whom it wasn’t quite real, in the darkest hours, almost midnight on Wednesday – the light of day shimmered with a new dawn, and we became, new people – winners and Champions, even!  The beloved ones!  The ones who having endured the great tribulation – have received the unfading crown of victory! 
 
But how do we live in this new city, this new reality?  How do we act?  How do we perceive ourselves, no longer having to wallow in disappointment and weeping?  How do we sustain this new identity – rejoicing and celebrating, as we hail these young Cubbies as champs, letting out a breath we’d held, in faith-filled promise, for 108 years?  Living in the new now?! 
 
And, there is also a bittersweet, poignant tinge, to the exhilaration - in remembering the beloved’s, who had longed for and waited for this day, who didn’t live to see it, even though they had lived in its hope, their whole lives long.  Those who had passed down the true meaning of Cubbies life, as a fan, leaning into the future promised-day they could always see, and believe in, and stand in, as though it were theirs now – yet just out of reach.  Those who had wept, though not despaired, even of the possibility. 
 
You’ve probably heard the stories of the cemeteries that sprouted Cubs flags and pennants, flowers and balloons, and little stuffed cubby bears on the headstones, bearing names of these loved ones, who had lived in hope and faith.  If it were true that they were in the heavenly stands, cheering us on for our continued course on earth, …in the bleachers, continually rising and falling in an eternal wave of the song of creation, then surely they would need the fan-gear along with their robes and crowns.  And surely, we could join in this feast of victory together with them, in this thinly veiled time, when clearly anything was possible – heaven and earth could nearly touch, and bring us all into the new reality, if the Cubs became the Champions! 
 
And, you’ve probably heard the stories of the names of the living and the dead, who were traced lovingly on the brick bleacher walls along Sheffield and Waveland, who then left nubs of chalk for others to use – leaving it on the ground near the wall or passing it on to strangers, in a sacramental communion.  Children, more flexible, left messages on the ground.  While others stood on one another’s shoulders, to reach a free space, over the rest of the messages. 
 
From coast to coast, streamed in the countless host!  Every continent poured in wireless messages to add a loved one’s name, from Peoria to Abu Dabyi.  All could be part of, and brought into this circle, this new day, the near and the far, the living and the dead, those physically or spiritually present.  All one!  All accounted for. All together now! 
 
So, on this All Saints Sunday, we come to this day ready to taste, and see, and touch, the reign and rule of God in the city of light, as it breaks in on us today.  We come ready to see heaven and earth, the angels and archangels, the church on earth, and the church triumphant, joined in one song of victory over the curse of death and the finality of the grave.  We can feel the roar of the City of God and join today the great wave spreading through the stands of the whole universe of creation, over space and over time, in praise of a God, for who nothing is impossible! 
 
And we know it in the remembrance of our loved ones, who will be commemorated, each one, individually from the Book of Names, during the communion hymn today.  Not just names, but relatives and friends we knew and loved, and who live in God’s blessedness now, who are still so very close.  Souls who taught us, or taunted us; souls who loved us, and struggled with us; souls who were our mates, and those we barely knew; souls who changed our lives, then and now. 
 
And so we take courage for our journey here below, from the boundary-breaking power of Jesus life, death, and resurrection, who calls us even today into a new reality, a new possibility of life that we can see, and touch, and taste, and participate in, where “the poor receive the kingdom of God”; the” hungry are filled”; and where “those who have been weeping tears of mourning are comforted and now may rejoice.”  Where names are inscribed and re-membered into the eternal circle we make today, around the table of grace -here - -  and where we are gathered with all our loved ones who have gone before us, into the feast of heaven and into the light of the city of God. 
 
And where a city, which on the one hand, rejoices over a north side victory, still and yet, mourns the loss of young and promising life, once again, over the most violent weekend of the year.  There is a bittersweet and poignant tinge to the exhilaration of the Cubbies championship, just as the victory of our Lord is tempered by the in-between times we still live in. 
 
So what this All Saints Sunday offers us, is the power of life in Christ Jesus, and a new confidence and hope for addressing that which still divides us – and for renouncing, as we did for Alex’s baptism and Maku’s Confirmation, the powers of evil, the devil, and all that draws us away from God, and from the life and future God intends for us and for creation.
 
In that confidence and hope, we are reminded here today, that love has brought us, and holds us always close, in blessed memory in the communion of saints.  We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors today, to make our own marks, to rejoice in the gift of love and grace of God, which we have the opportunity to pass on to younger loved ones. 
 
Native American poet Linda Hogan summarized this well when she said: Suddenly, all my ancestors are behind me.  “Be still” they say.  “Watch and Listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.”
 
In the covenant of our baptism, the heavens are torn open so God can descend down to us in the form of a dove, and bless us, and send us out, no longer just sinners, but also saints, at the same time, as Luther taught us – called out by name, from the tomb of death to life, called into a new reality of life eternal, and listed in the roll call of all the saints! 
 
God has loved us since creation.  In the mind of God, we and our loved ones will never not have been, and we are held in this love with the countless hosts, in the stream of the faithful.  The new city, and new reality may at times feel overwhelming, as it breaks through and dawns a whole new day for us.  But with the crowd, and whole throng of the blessed, it is certainly something to celebrate and praise God for, already! 
 
(with thanks to Kim Beckmann for her text!)

Readings for Reformation Sunday, Lectionary 31

• Isaiah 1:10-18 and Psalm 32:1-7  
• 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12  
• Luke 19:1-10

Big and Small, by Pastor Kinsey
“God loves us all, both big and small!”  That’s the good news of our gospel today.  Salvation comes to the house of, small-in-stature, Zacchaeus.
 
I remember when MA-ku first started Confirmation, and I think he was about a ½ a foot shorter than he is today!  He is the last of his 4 brothers to be Confirmed.  And he’ll always be the youngest brother.  But boy, has he grown!  Now, on the day of his Affirmation of Faith, his Confirmation day, he’s standing tall – and not just in stature, but in his life of faith too.
 
Tomorrow is the 499th anniversary of the Reformation, when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the Wittenberg Church front door.  Luther started a conversation that continues to this day.  Luther was in the minority in speaking up for reforming the church, but he stood tall in his resolve – and he changed theology, the way we worship, our understanding of faith, and increased bible literacy for a great many, in the last 500 years. 
 
In our gospel reading, Jesus’ pilgrimage and journey these last few months, is finally coming, very close to Jerusalem.  He’s down in Jericho, in the low fertile Jordan valley, where the main road to Jerusalem is all uphill.  And passing through Jericho, Jesus is drawing a large crowd.  It reminds me of the Bud Milliken, or St Patrick’s Day Parade, where local politicians and celebrities walk closely by the crowds, on either side of the street! 
 
There was a man in Jericho named Zacchaeus who came to Jesus’ parade.  And he is described as a chief tax collector – with an emphasis on, rich!  As a Jew who worked for the Romans, he was required to pay Rome a fee up-front for his whole district, and then would send his own hired guns, the tax collectors who went out to collect the prescribed taxes, tolls, tariffs, and customs fees, from the people themselves, with the aim of not only making up his fee, but making a profit, as large as he could.  So, the system was ripe for abuse.  And fellow Jews, who assumed that chief tax collectors like Zacchaeus, were cheating to make themselves rich, despised him and all tax collectors.  In Luke’s gospel they’re regularly called sinners and outcasts. 
 
And what’s more, Jesus consistently warns the rich, going against the conventional wisdom, that riches are a sign of blessings.  He pronounced woes on the rich in the Beatitudes, he called the rich farmer a fool who had sold his soul, and while a beggar, Lazarus, went to Abraham’s bosom when he died, the rich man who ignored him, went to Hades.  Jesus concludes then, in the chapter just before Zacchaeus, that it will be difficult for those with wealth to enter the kingdom of heaven, as difficult, in fact, as a camel being able to pass through the eye of a needle! 
 
And yet – Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his disciples.  He lifted up and praised the tax collector who beat his breast, and confessed his unworthiness, as one whose prayer had saved him, in comparison to the boastful prayer of the rich leader in the Temple, who assumed his privileged status would save him.  And so, Jesus was labeled, a friend of tax collectors, by his opponents. 
 
It’s obvious that the people of Jericho, know Zacchaeus, their chief tax collector, and their opinion of him is anything but rosy.  But that doesn’t deter Zacchaeus from his pursuit to somehow see Jesus!  He’s too short to see over the Jericho crowds, so, throwing all caution to the wind, and leaving his pride behind, he climbs a sycamore tree’s long low branches, in wait of the Messiah’s parade. 
 
Soon – in Luke’s story – Jesus will ride a donkey in a Palm Sunday parade we know so well, in Jerusalem, in the last week of his life.  But this day, in Jericho, in the low lands, where the air is warm and moist and friendly, Jesus calls out to Zacchaeus perched precariously in the tree – and calls him by name.  Jesus knows who he is too!  But still, Jesus invites himself to stay at the little rich man’s house – the villain of Jericho. 
 
And so, the parade will conclude with a party, another banquet with a tax collector and sinner.  And that’s when the people begin to grumble and complain, out loud!  The same kind of grumbling, as when Jesus let the woman who had a questioned reputation pour costly ointment over his feet and wash them with her hair!  A judging grumble, a disbelief in such a leader, saying, “ What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?” 
 
And Zacchaeus, says Luke, was stunned that Jesus had invited himself over, but he rejoiced to welcome him!  And without thinking another thing of it, Zacchaeus blurted out, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”  Imagine that!
 
Do we work this hard, to see Jesus, anymore?  Are we tentative and frozen, taking on a lowly humble status, thinking that maybe we don’t deserve a look at our king?  Are we waiting for Jesus, in the back of the crowd? 
 
Martin Luther was so afraid of a God of retribution, that he beat and berated himself, more than most, trying to make himself good enough to be loved.  That was the ethos of the Middle Ages – a long, multi-national nightmare, which Luther finally broke through, in his realization that God saves us by grace alone, through faith, igniting the Reformation in western Christendom. 
 
Luther found in the gospels, the good news Jesus gave the whole world, that God comes to us, as sinners, offering grace and love.  God takes the first step in Jesus’ love, given in his death and resurrection, in every parable and miracle of lifting up the lowly, and healing the outcast, and releasing the blind, even tax collectors. 
 
And so, friar Martin was finally able to let go of his guilt.  He stood up straight, and let the sunshine of God’s all-consuming love and Jericho-Grace wash over him.  No longer would Luther be cowered by a church that itself was fallible, one that sold indulgences on the false promise that money or good works had any effect on – for example – Aunt Minnie’s sins in purgatory.  Aunt Minnie, BTW, was freed by Christ, and all she had to do, insisted, was accept and believe that!  Run to the nearest sycamore tree, Luther would agree, and risk climbing up in its branches, and you will see the dawning of the kingdom and realm of God, walking toward you, in Jesus. 
 
Zacchaeus was short of stature, and morally small too, in the eyes of those he collected taxes from.  But Jesus paraded into his life and turned it upside down!  The rich man paid a 50% tax, and a 400% fine – becoming the most generous giver in town!  And Jesus declared that, today salvation has come to his house! 
 
Maku has grown in stature, in these years of his pilgrimage to his Confirmation day.  A still growing, fine young man!  But more than that, a 16 year old who really cares about the world God made, and who is willing to risk identifying as a Christian, and a brother with us, in the faith. 
 
Let us all stand tall in the faith.  “God loves us all, both big and small!”  That’s the good news of our gospel today.  Whether 4’ 4” or 6’ 3”, we stand tall in the eyes of our LORD.  Black or white, rich or poor, male and female.  “Come now… says the LORD,” according to the prophet Isaiah, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like [sheep’s] wool.”  “Today,” says Jesus, “salvation has come to this house!  For the Son of Man came to seek out, and to save, the lost.” 
 
Come Lord Jesus, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us!