October 1, 2023 — Pentecost +18A

“When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.” Matthew 21:23-32

This text deals with authority — the question many in the church struggle with: who has the authority, or who has been self-designated the authority, or who mistakenly and brazenly claims authority, or more importantly, who will we give authority to? Authority has always been an issue in the church, whether it was in the Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, or Catholic parish. Our text from last week, the parable of the workers hired to work in the vineyard is one that speaks to the same issue: those who came early thought they deserved more: more reward, more notice, more recognition for all that they have endured. Those born into, those appointed to power, even those who think that by stature they deserve power always want to exert it. And those down below, those who came last, those who are younger often spend a lot of time trying to determine where and why the authority is housed. 

I hope you notice something from last week’s and this week’s texts: Jesus always allies himself with those down below, those who are last, the underdog, the one who repents. I think this should give anyone in power in the church something to reflect upon and to give them pause when seeking to throw around that influence. Jesus knew the imbalance of power in his community — and in his religious circles. Those without, those who were outcast, those outside the community were always begging just to be noticed — while those in power lorded their power over them, treating them as non-entities. As such, Jesus was focused on giving those at the bottom of the well of society hope, recognition, and a voice. If you take notice, Jesus always operates at ground level with his teachings. Jesus was grounded, earthy, he even operated below ground level — down in the depths of those deepest in despair. In this week’s gospel, the religious heavies tackle Jesus. “By what authority are you doing these things….oh, and by the way, who gave you this authority?” He could look them straight in the eye and say, “Well, by my own authority, actually!” But he gives them a taste of their own medicine — instead of answering the question with an answer, he answers with another question — a good Jewish tactic in debate. And their answer to his question about John his cousin is weak to say the least. Jesus has them over a barrel and they know it. Perhaps they realize the authority that Jesus has — since he is able so quickly and adeptly to put them between a “rock and a hard place”, to spin a phrase. 

Authority that is built upon narcissism and “inflated-ego” and even fear is not the kind of authority Jesus projected — and this is the message we good people of the church should internalize. Like all else that comes from G-d, Jesus’ example about authority is rooted and grounded in love — as is his entire ministry rooted and grounded in love. Jesus’ authority releases people from what binds them — it empowers the powerless — it nurtures the soul — it opens them up to new possibilities, and does not keep them imprisoned to the past, or keep them in the dark. Those throughout Jerusalem and all of Judea who had gone out to be baptized by John the Baptist obviously recognized genuine authority when they experienced it, and witnessed it. It was an authority that differed so much from the teachings and the presence of the religious leaders of their day. When these same leaders confront Jesus this day, they get a true taste of his inherently divine authority.

Those who are elected to authority positions in the church, or who assume authority because of their “length” of service in the church, or their “giving” (if you know what I mean) need to draw from that same G-d-well of leadership grounded in love — if they are to be the genuine article. Human authority is either given or claimed — but authority that comes from G-d deserves decisions, actions, and discernment that is in touch with the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Dave

October 2, 2023 — What IF…?

What if Martin Luther Liked to Watch Lightning?

“Tomorrow at this time I will cause the heaviest hail to fall that has ever fallen in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Send, therefore, and have your livestock and everything that you have in the open field brought to a secure place; every human or animal that is in the open field and is not brought under shelter will die when the hail comes down upon them.’” Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried their slaves and livestock off to a secure place. Those who did not regard the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the open field. The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven so that hail may fall on the whole land of Egypt, on humans and animals and all the plants of the field in the land of Egypt.” Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire came down on the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; there was hail with fire flashing continually in the midst of it, such heavy hail as had never fallen in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the open field throughout all the land of Egypt, both human and animal; the hail also struck down all the plants of the field, and shattered every tree in the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were, there was no hail.” Exodus 9:18-26

Lutherans know the story of Luther’s lightning bolt experience – much like the experience of Saul on the road to Damascus. Luther was on his way to his university while studying to become a lawyer, but upon nearly being struck by lightning, he fulfilled his vow to St. Anne to get himself to a monastery and become a monk. The storm must have been frightening – especially to be on horseback when encountering the storm. It was fear and the uncertainty of life that forced the words out of his mouth – but once the vow was uttered, he was compelled to fulfill it. But what if he wasn’t afraid of storms? What if lightning produced a feeling of excitement rather than fear?

We know that this experience completely changed the course of his life. As I said previously, upon surviving the storm, he left his university where he most likely was on his way to a successful life as a lawyer. His family was hopeful that his career as a lawyer would help them financially. And looking upon his prolific and successful life as a theologian, he probably would have had a successful life and career as a lawyer. But Luther did more than become a leader of the church. Luther changed society as they knew it. He is remembered in the Lutheran church as a “Renewer of Society”. He advocated for the education of children, the idea that all are part of the “Priesthood of Believers”, that any vocation in life can be sacred, and he put the words of the Bible and of worship in the language of the people. Some say Luther stands symbolically as the greatest single agent in increasing the value of the individual. As Martin E. Marty so eloquently puts it, “I have a hard time picturing several aspects of the modern world without Luther.”

What would the world be like if Martin Luther wasn’t afraid of lightning storms?

Pastor Dave