July 11, 2022 — Words of Wisdom, Christopher Hitchens 

Drawing Conclusions

“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are God.” – Christopher Hitchens

“James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?”And they said to him, “Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized,but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to appoint, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:35-45

Drawing Conclusions

If you have followed the disciples in the Gospel of Mark, you soon learn that although Jesus predicts his death and so is teaching them about humble and sacrificial living, the disciples continue to argue over rank, power, and position. Even as 21^st century readers we are getting a bit weary of the cluelessness of the disciples. Jesus tells the disciples what is on the docket for him and what do we get from James and John – they are angling for cabinet posts in the new Jesus Administration.  

“Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” Jesus asked James and John.  “We can” they replied confidently — and in some ways we reply with equal confidence today. Every time we approach the Lord’s Table that exact same cup of suffering and humility stands right before our very eyes. Each time we celebrate the feast, we grasp the body of Christ and the blood of Christ — and as we do we trust and believe that Christ is there with us – in and through and under that bread and wine. We believe in Jesus’ teachings — we believe in his gospel. We believe in his self-proclaimed path to true spiritual greatness.

But how often does our discerning of Jesus’ presence in this way transform our lives? Or are we about as likely as James and John to turn right around and, come Monday morning, start angling for power (in the world, in the church, in our business, in our family . . . wherever)? We affirm Jesus’ presence in the bread and the wine, but what conclusions do we draw about life, the universe and everything when it comes to our faith in Jesus? Do we believe his presence gives us power to Lord over others, or the power to love and serve others unconditionally? 

How would our day-to-day lives be changed if we discerned his presence with us like that every day?

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, we too often draw conclusions that we are better partners, better mentors, and better co-workers than we really are. Help me today to discern your presence in my life and give me the wisdom to know that you are calling us all to humble sacrificial living, not worldly power and position. Amen

Pastor Dave

July 10, 2022 – Pentecost +5C, Luke 10:25-37

“An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked 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, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. 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 denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:25-37

The “Rule of Three” — have you ever heard of the “Rule of Three” when it comes to writing a story? If you remember some of your more memorable children’s stories, you might soon understand what I am talking about. For millennia, from Aristotle to Dickens, the basic makeup of any story or fable is built using this principle of three. After all, three is the minimum number of items needed to establish a pattern. Think back to your childhood and see how many “Threes” were featured in fairy tales, books and films you enjoyed. “The Three Little Pigs”, “The Three Musketeers” “Three Ghosts of Christmas Past”….come to mind. And if we take a look at the Bible for other examples “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” come to mind, from the story of Daniel and the fiery furnace — and we also have “The Three Wise men” — it is no coincidence. The reason it has been used for so long is the usefulness of the pattern: The first item introduces the topic, the second suggests the pattern, and the third either drives the pattern home or unexpectedly changes it.

Jesus often uses the Rule of Three in his parables. Take for example his Parable of the Great Dinner — the rule of three is used in confirming the guests’ apathy toward the invitation. “The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land’, the second said ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen,’ the third said ‘I have just been married,’…I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner” (Luke 14:17-24). Jesus also uses the Rule of Three for rhetorical effect. In the Parable of the Sower, the goodness of the good soil is driven home with the harvest that it yields — “.some thirty and some sixty and some a hundredfold” (Mark 4:8).

The first of the three introduces the topic; the second of the trio suggests the pattern; and the third either drives the pattern home or unexpectedly changes it. It is pure genius. The people listening to the story from Jesus would have expected the third to be an “Israelite” — so when they heard “Samaritan” they were initially shocked, but then, having heard it was a Samaritan, they were most likely angry. The only expectation of the Jews then would be that they figured the Samaritan would also pass along on the other side of the road. But that is not how G-d works in G-D’s Kingdom. G-d is a G-d who does unexpected things through unexpected people. And that is something we should always expect in our lives — even though life gets busy and we get distracted and often feel more like the Priest and the Levite then we do the “Good Samaritan” — G-d is going to try to do what G-d can do to break us out of our predictable patterns — patterns of behaving, patterns of living, patterns of sinning, patterns of spending. You do know, by now at least I hope you do, but our G-d is not a G-d that is easy to predict. As soon as I think I have G-d figured out in my life, G-d comes along to say: “I have come to shake up your world once again.” And he often does — week after week after week — G-d continues to show up in my life, and my wife and children’s lives in unexpected and surprising ways.

Look, I do not always do the things I should do — I do not always do the right thing, or take advantage of the opportunities to “act like a neighbor” to someone in need like I should. As such, the point of this parable is not to make us feel bad because we haven’t done enough. Instead, we are to hear this parable and realize that life is not about what you and I can get out of it — and life is not about always living in fear that we shouldn’t get involved — and especially, we should not live our lives worried that we haven’t done enough. No, the point of this parable, as I see it, is to realize that life is about what you and I can offer to all people, since there are no boundaries to who is our neighbor. And since there should be no boundaries to whom we offer Jesus’ love, mercy and grace, then what we can offer to all people will come through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

Pastor Dave