February 24, 2022 – “Let’s Talk Turkey” (Luke 17:11-19)

“Now on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance, raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went along, they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He fell with his face to the ground at Jesusʼ feet and thanked him. (Now he was a Samaritan.) Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to the man, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19

“Let’s Talk Turkey”

The origin of “talk turkey” is, perhaps, as old as colonial times. Dictionary entries from the 1800s show that the term was used in a variety of ways – and that “talking turkey” meant both talking about something pleasant (possibly referring to the dinner conversations that occur during a Thanksgiving feast) and talking in a silly manner (like the weird way turkey’s walk and act). Historical accounts suggest the modern meaning of the phrase came about from the day-to-day bartering between colonists and Indians over — you guessed it, wild turkeys. An account of the tale comes from an 1837 article in the Niles’ Weekly Register where a local Indian man and a colonial man bargain over a turkey and crow, only to shut the bargain down fast when they began to disagree. The swift and quick message behind the term was used to cut the bartering short and to-the-point – which is how we now use it in modern day conversation.

We should live our lives in a constant state of “gratefulness”. But it isn’t always easy to remember to give thanks to G-d on a daily basis. Do you know someone who struggles with “gratefulness”? I think we all do. There are a lot of people who live their lives in a constant state of “entitlement” rather than “gratefulness” – there are even people like that in the church, believe it or not. R. Alan Culpepper is a Professor of New Testament at McAfee School of Theology – he writes:

“Are we self-made individuals beholden to no one, or are we blessed daily in ways we seldom perceive, cannot repay, and for which we often fail to be grateful? Here is a barometer of spiritual health: If gratitude is not synonymous with faith, neither response to God (can be separated) from the other.”

In other words, Gratitude and Faith must be co-existent in our lives – if we are to be living the Christ-like life. Yes, we will not always say thank you when we should, or appreciate the blessings we have – but taking time each day to appreciate our blessings will go a long way in increasing our gratitude, and our faith.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we may not bargain over turkey anymore (except on Thanksgiving), but we should not revert to the need to bargain for your love and grace. Help us to trust in your grace, to bask in your love, and to share your mercy daily. Amen.

Pastor Dave

February 23, 2022 – “Neck of the Woods” (Luke 10:25-37)

“Now an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?” The expert answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But the expert, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him up, and went off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, but when he saw the injured man he passed by on the other side. So too a Levite, when he came up to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was traveling came to where the injured man was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him. He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ʻTake care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.ʼ Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” The expert in religious law said, “The one who showed mercy to him.” So Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.” Luke 10:25-37

“Neck of the Woods”

When people first came to America, it appears there was a conscious effort to avoid naming new places and towns with Old English names. They often sought to give new “American” names. So in place of “moor,” “heath,” “dell,” “fen” and other such Old World terms, the colonists came up with “branch,” “fork,” “hollow,” “gap,” “flat” and other descriptive terms. Americans were the first to apply “neck” to a narrow stand of woods or, more importantly, to a settlement located in a particular part of the woods. In a country then largely covered by forests, your “neck of the woods” was your home, the first American neighborhood.

For Israelites, many of the people who lived in their “neck of the woods”, like people from Samaria and the Decapolis, were not part of their clan. The people considered as “Hellenists”, like those from the Decapolis, and the Samaritans, who were particularly despised by Israelites, were not often welcome. And yet, Jesus often uses people outside of the Jewish family as examples of people whose faith or gestures of faith were models of living and loving. The parable of the Good Samaritan is just such an example.

We often do not like to welcome outsiders, those not from our “neck of the woods”, to our neighborhoods, and our churches. Yet Jesus gives us example after example of how we should live — loving our neighbors and welcoming them — paying special attention to the strangers in our midst. Our communities are becoming bastions of different cultures, ethnicities, and religious practices. Now is the time to get to know the people who are not “from here”, to learn from them, and to partner with them in serving the needs of the community.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you are the model of how to teach, love, heal and serve those not from our neck of the woods. Give us the strength to apply your lessons to our lives every day. Amen.

Pastor Dave