LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Monday, February 29

Signs of the End of the Age: Matthew 24: 3 - 14

            Whenever Jesus arrives on the world’s stage, things get tossed upside down, turned inside out, get all wibbly-wobbly. People get shook up. Governments become disoriented.  Life is not the same. Earth is going to be radically different.

            The sign is going to read, “Under New Management”.

            The provocative imagery of much of this chapter fires up our imaginations. Hang on to your hats! The times are a-changing. The world is undergoing a major makeover. You can’t help but notice it. Hug your loved ones. Be ready! Be prepared!

             Maybe the sign reads: “God at work!”

            What I hear and see in this kind of wild, dramatic, evocative language (known as apocalyptic language) is not the message that God is going to destroy the world utterly someday, blowing it to smithereens, but that God is committed to recreating all of Creation, bringing together new heavens and a new, over which Christ will be our sovereign.

            These words point to an “end of an age”, an old, weary, devastated age of injustice, brokenness, suffering, inhumanity and humanity’s failures. Instead, the New Age is a force of liberation, a time for healing, a demonstration of God’s pro-active Love and the concluding times of all that is evil, sinful and death- inducing.
 
            Verses 3 to 6 tell us not to settle for second best.  There are so many false promises, so many con artists, so many liars, so many phoneys, who are out for hearts, minds and souls. But, in time, they only disturb the world with their empty promises and deceptions, and throw the world into conflict and turmoil. There is only one Messiah; one, true God’s Champion, and that is Jesus Christ.

            Some Christians get all tied up in knots with texts like this. Who stays; who gets left behind? Doomsday destruction and mayhem. Heated theological debates about post-millennial or pre-millennial and all the other millennials - (don’t ask). Pointless and needless calculations about when, where and how. Passive living in today’s world. Giving up on today’s world. Waiting for God to put an end to today’s world.

            Jesus speaks of the “beginnings of birth pangs”. He sees God’s hand working in the present for the healthy benefit of the future. The seeds of this change were planted with Jesus, and we are called today, right now, to nurture the tender shoots of his reign of Love and Righteousness, for the present and the future.

            Perhaps the sign could read: “Help wanted!”  

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Sunday, Third Sunday in Lent

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold: Matthew 24: 1 – 2

There are many dire predictions, these days, about the Fall of Christianity, or at least, the demise of the institutionalized Church. And not without good reason. Almost all of the statistics and demographics concerning the Church are frightening and dismaying. There are exceptions, of course, but things are not looking too healthy, generally speaking, for ‘Ye Olde Kirk’ as a whole.

It’s not all that hard to diagnose and analyze the issues that are leading to this ever-increasing erosion of relevance that has led to the society’s apathy and disinterest in the Church. Religion, per se, has a bad name, even if spirituality seems as vibrant as ever.  Some time ago, the Church got stuck in its own success. Then it got equally stuck in its traditions, structures, buildings, creeds, hierarchies, and stale habits. Some would argue that the Church also got stuck in its own narrow-mindedness, its hypocrisies, its judgementalism, its self-righteousness, its self-centredness, its arrogance, its inability to engage the culture with integrity, grace, respect, forgiveness, humility and love.

Somehow, somewhere, some-when, the Christian Church stood apart from Jesus, bit the forbidden fruit of self-sufficiency and lost its way.

The diagnosis is simple enough; the remedy is altogether something else again - much harder and far more difficult, if possible at all.

Sounds bleak, doesn’t it?

So let’s turn our eyes upon Jesus, or as he is called in Hebrews, “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,” (Hebrews 12:2). He has come up with a very radical solution to the problem of sacred cows, stone-locked buildings, broken-down religiosity and the dull monotony of practicing religion by habit.  

But you are not going to like it!

Tear it down. Replace it with something totally new.  Jesus “attacks” the most sacred, revered institution in all of Judah, the Temple in Jerusalem. “Truly, I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another, all will be thrown out,” (24:2).

Jesus is a devout Jew, and, as such, no doubt, the Temple was very special to him. But as we saw at the time he overturned the tables in the Temple, he understood that a radical, deep-seated reform and renewal were very much needed. It was going to take far more than introducing a few contemporary songs for worship and using PowerPoint. It was going to take a new heart, a new attitude, a new passion, a new mission, a new flow of spirit and love to make his beloved Temple an integral part of people’s lives, once more. The Old had to go, before the New could happen.

In fact, the New Temple was no longer going to need stone walls and secret sanctums, but rather it will be made up of people, living stones, who will celebrate and worship the presence of God within their personal lives and communities. God is with us; not stuck in some old building.

The New Temple would be made up of people, poor, rich, men, women, anyone who follows Jesus Christ and wants to make a difference in a needy world. This New Temple will be made up of people who live, love, act, speak, serve like Jesus. This New Temple will be the inclusive, open-doored, open-minded, open-hearted body of people who incarnate the values and practices of Jesus Christ. Ask yourself: Would Jesus be so willing to die on the Cross for what the Church has currently become? Personally, I want to be worthy of that sacrifice.

So let’s take our metaphorical sledge hammers, pick axes, wrecking balls and let’s get to work. Jesus, the Risen Lord of the Church, has his sleeves rolled up and is wearing a hard hat, spitting in his hands, ready to take the first swing.

 

LENT- 2016

GOING TO JERUSALEM

Saturday, February 27

The Lament Over Jerusalem: Matthew 23: 37 – 39

After his fiery “rant”, Jesus rekindles his compassionate nature. His words are indeed very touching and tender words. “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings… (v.37).

He is speaking to the city of Jerusalem, the very epicentre of the Jewish religion and faith. It is both the religious and political capital of the nation. But more than that, it represents past, present and future, a point in history, time and place, in which God symbolically resides and rules over his Chosen People. “Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who resides in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!” (Ps.135:21)

But Jerusalem has become a much troubled place in Jesus’ time. It is occupied by Rome. Its traditional leadership, priests, lawyers, Pharisees, Sadducees, etc., are in conflict, often with one another, concerning the best way to deal with its Roman oppressors, among other matters of faith and Jewish practice. The Temple is awash in shoddy and questionable dealings. There is poverty, of course, and disease, as most cities must contend with. Jesus’ words seem to echo, forlornly, the words from Psalm 128;

            The Lord bless you from Zion.
            May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
                  all the days of your life.
            May you see your children’s children.
            Peace be upon Israel! (v.5-6)

Except there was something terribly wrong about Jerusalem. It needed healing, redemption, renewal and it needed to recognize and respect the presence of God. “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Imagine if Jesus was to pray today (no doubt, he does) over the major cities on this planet -  Ottawa, Washington, London, Moscow, Baghdad, Beijing, Mexico City, etc. What would he be praying for in your city, town or village? Perhaps, it is your rural community.

How would Jesus fill God’s ears as he looked out upon our streets, offices, stores, governments, factories, homes, schools, hospitals, jails, back alleys, and so on? How would Jesus describe the character of the communities in which we live? What would Jesus find in the hearts and minds of the citizenry? What would Jesus see going on in the churches that are being run in his name?  

Would it make Jesus lament, as he does in this text? “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings… (v.37).

In Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem is God’s sacred, glorious gift, coming into the world to be an abiding place of whole and abundant Life. But as we anticipate this event, let us pray for our neighbourhoods and communities, and our cities. Let us in the name of Jesus work for their healing, their renewal, their integrity, their compassion and honour.

            “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

                  May they prosper who love you.
                  Peace be within your walls,
                  and security within your towers.”
            For the sake of my relatives and friends
            I will say, “peace be within you.”
            For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
                   I will seek your good. (Psalm 122: 6 9)

 

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Friday, February 26
 

Jesus denounces Scribes and Pharisees: Matthew 23: 1 – 36

My guess is that Jesus had had enough of their traps, questions, arguments and whatever else the “devout” religious leaders were dishing out. A man, even Jesus, can take just so much. There comes a tipping point, and patience wears thin when one has been pounding one’s head against a brick wall, and the message isn’t getting through. 

But calling the Pharisees, in Jesus’ words, “hypocrites”, and maybe, worse, “snakes” and “vipers”, that’s pretty strong language. Imagine! Jesus, of all people, saying such nasty things about others! What happened to love your enemies? What happened to turn your other cheek? What happened to not calling someone a fool?

But I can tell you, this is one “sermon” that I do not want to get swept up in. What if Jesus is talking to me, about me? Or you?

Do we practice what we preach?  Do we say one thing but do something contrary?

Do we lay a lot of heavy religious jargon and baggage on others to obey, acting all superior and self-righteous?

Do we act very pompous, pious and holy but ignore the real needs of those around us?

Do we use all sorts of religious words om a Sunday and make a show of our religion but our daily character makes a mockery out of the words during the week?

Do we use our religion to have status and power and influence, especially in the church, demanding that because of our financial giving or our volunteerism, this should grant us the right to hold high positions or our opinions should matter more than others?  

Do we demand respect in the world simply because we call ourselves Christians, without having to earn that respect by living out of the Love which Jesus has given us?

Where is the humble Christian or church? The serving Christian or church?

Are we so intent on saving souls that we have forgotten that Jesus also wants us to save the whole person?

Have we become so judgmental that we think we know who gets allowed in God’s Kingdom and who doesn’t deserve to get through the door?

Do we worship the church and its building and its structures more than we worship God?

Have we become so paralyzed about financial viability whether in our personal finances or the church’s budget that we are neglecting the real issues of viability -  justice and mercy and faith. We strain out the gnat but swallow the camel.

Do we make sure that our Christian lives look as good on the inside as they do from the outside?

Do we boast an undying, endless devotion to Jesus but treat him with contempt, disdain, and disregard?

How are you doing? I, myself, am squirming rather uncomfortably right now. If we aren’t red-faced, then we probably fit right into the message of this chapter, more than we care to admit.

But let’s not leave this chapter in a sea of self-pity, guilt and shame. It may seem overwhelming evidence against us, but don’t give up. Self- awareness is the first-step in redeeming our discipleship. Through Jesus we have been given the Holy Spirit to teach us, guide us, and liberate us from our present sins of omission or commission. We have been shown the Way to live more creatively, honestly, generously, justly, intentionally and fruitfully. We are not alone in seeking this Way – Jesus’ Spirit shows us how to try to live up to his standards and what those standards are.  Justice, mercy and faith. And, of course,  Love.

Give us another chance, Jesus!

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Thursday, February 25

The Question about David’s Son: Matthew 22: 41 – 45

         So far, in much of this chapter, it has been sounding a lot like a fractious, Baptist church’s Annual General Meeting -  everybody with their own point of view, cliques, arguments, counter arguments, accusations, questions and more questions. (Wait until you read chapter 23 – yowzer!)  Maybe, nobody was waving around Robert’s Rules of Order, but opinions were flying around with great gusto.  At least, they were arguing over the practice of theology, and not church budgets, auditor reports, and leaky roofs.

        I am not sure what I would have done if, during a church meeting, someone had ever suggested that we should discuss what we thought of the Messiah.  But now that Jesus has brought it up; what do you think about God’s Messiah, God’s Champion? There are even Christians who get hung up on this important title for Jesus of Nazareth. It is a totally odd and alien notion for those on the outside of the Church.

       It is a tough question. Hundreds of books, written by theologians and biblical scholars, have tried to address it.  Some are very good; very fresh and relevant and make you think. Some have turned the topic into dry, dusty, boring, and dull reading and thereby make this powerful image nearly irrelevant.

      Obviously (?), Jesus wanted to get people out of the rut of thinking of God’s Champion in Davidic terms only. The Pharisees gave the correct, orthodox answer to the question. But Jesus challenges them to think outside the box.  He has re-interpreted the whole mission that goes with being God’s Champion. The model of a new King David, uniting the kingdoms, leading an army, claiming victory over all their enemies didn’t work for Jesus. It certainly doesn’t really work in today’s context either.

       So Jesus makes his break away from the traditional expression of Messiahship. He is in new theological territory by doing so. It certainly won’t be popular. It is radically different, in that he seeks his following in the least likely people, draws them together with compassion and love, offers a healing hand rather than a closed fist, treats all with equanimity and respect, and in the end, he does the strangest, most peculiar, illogical thing for any champion – he dies ingloriously on a cross. Some Champion he is.

       But it should make you think. Don’t just spout the same old answers because it is the safe, predictable answer.

       I am not sure any of this fresh approach makes any more sense in today’s secular world than the idea of a new King David let loose among us.  But for me, this “new” Messiah, God’s Champion who rides the “clouds” of compassion, grace, mercy, justice, and exemplifies God’s unconditional Love is far more fascinating, alluring, challenging, commanding and outstanding in his field than any other Champion who claims that he or she is the “right one” and has all the answers.

       But for argument’s sake – what do you think of the Messiah?

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Wednesday, February 24

The Greatest Commandment - Matthew 22: 34 - 40

            What would you ask Jesus if you met him face to face?

            I suspect most of us would make inquiries about some family issue, asking for his aid or intervention. Perhaps, you might ask his advice on some personal issue, getting his take on a decision you are facing or about how to solve a problem that you are having. Maybe it would be about some relationship advice or marriage counseling or a health worry.

Or you might go with the big questions; might ask him about why there is suffering, pain, death? Is there life after death? What will heaven look like?

Some might be curious about his views on current affairs in the world – politics, the economy, poverty, homelessness, the problems in Syria, climate change, and so on.

Some keeners might ask him about the future of the Church or what he thought about how the Church is doing.

Each of us would have our own individual, unique conversation with him, that might last for hours. But I am not sure we would ask the question that the Pharisees put to Jesus.

After the Sadducees had no luck in trapping Jesus in some heresy or another, the Pharisees come onto the stage and give it a go. They ask a technical, religious question, testing Jesus’ purity as a Jew. “Teacher, which commandment in the Law [i.e. Torah] is the greatest?”

Now, any child in Sabbath School is going to know the answer to this. I am not sure what the Pharisees were thinking, as to what else Jesus might answer. So he answers with the very ancient, very traditional and the very standard statement known as the Shema: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.” There is nothing very radical here. Jesus makes no attempt to revise it or change it to twist it into theological knots. It would be the safe and satisfactory response.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil it,” (Matthew 5:17).

As it is, it is a powerful and complete “creed”, one that binds together the gracious, loving, covenantal relationship between God and his people. Indeed, everything hinges on this commandment, in conjunction with the second one which Jesus also emphasizes, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” The one goes with the other just as homemade strawberry jam goes on warm, fresh-baked bread.

Love God totally; love your neighbour totally. So profound; yet so plain. So simple in words; yet so complicated in practice. So forthright and demanding in its expectations; yet so broad and deep. So deeply all-encompassing; yet so personal and life-embracing. Love God completely; love your neighbour as much and as completely as you love God and yourself.

Every time that we engage in any conversation with Jesus this is where he may want to begin. How are you loving God? How are you loving yourself? How are you loving your neighbour?  

“So, let’s talk!”

 

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Tuesday, February 23

The Question About the Resurrection - Matthew 22: 23 - 33

             Why are some people so negative about everything? Or so contrary? Or so doubtful? Or so argumentative? Or so confrontational? Always being judgmental and critical? Always rigidly right (or, maybe, left)? Always so stuck in their own point of view that they don’t even try to understand the other person’s opinion? Always ready to defend to the death some small, often inconsequential matter (in the grand scheme of things)?  Always judging the other person over some perceived, wrong thinking, while feeling smug and superior?

            I don’t really know why I am that way – what about yourself?

            The Sadducees, a quite conservative brand of the Jewish faith, want to argue with Jesus over the issue of – are you ready for it? – what kind of marriage is there in heaven? They think they are being clever. The topic began, perhaps, about the reality of the resurrected life? That would have been worthy of discussion, but they try to turn it into an inane riddle. It was an absurd question since they didn’t believe in any sort of resurrection to begin with. Their question was meant to prove how foolish an idea that resurrection was.

            Some religious folk (and, in this day and age, some non-religious types, too) have a checklist of stuff that we are supposed to believe – according to their versions of faith and philosophy. If we want to “get to heaven”, i.e. reach the summit of life, we must think just like them. We must believe what they believe.

For religious people, we must read only the right translation of the Bible. We must have the right creed. We must have the right theology of grace, salvation, end-times, and the list goes on and on. They know absolutely what is right, and why you are so utterly wrong.

            I don’t really know why I am that way – what about yourself?

            It is great that you and I have some clear and valued expressions of our beliefs and even about our relationship with Jesus. But let’s not get caught up in arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

Jesus refuses to indulge them in their baiting of him. Instead he challenges them, and therefore us, too, to give God the last word. Jesus has a much bigger picture of the resurrected life.  The details of this life are God’s concern, a matter for his all-embracing, creative Love.

God’s pleasure is to bring us, his “angels” (v.30), into his fellowship. Whether my “halo” is silver or gold, my “wings” are peacock feathers or ostrich feathers, whether I play a harp or a saxophone or not at all, is beside the point.  Besides, Easter Sunday kind of puts an accent on Jesus’ point, “He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” The Resurrected Life is going to be full of surprises.

I don’t know why God does it that way. Do you?

LENT 2016 – GOING TO JERUSALEM

Monday, February 22

The Question About Paying Taxes - Matthew 22: 15 – 22

                Nothing says power more than putting the emperor’s face on a coin. Every time a person bought something, paid one’s taxes, received a wage, bought passage on a boat, or hid it under a mattress, the emperor’s facial image reminded one that he owned the world and controlled its commerce and economy, and determined the value of all goods and commodities.  The emperor was the centre of the world when it came to politics, power, trade, taxes and even official religion. Afterall, he liked to think of himself as a god, and therefore so should everyone else.  A coin with his image was a visual and vivid reminder that if he sneezed in Rome, somebody in Jerusalem better say “Bless you!”

               Many Jews of Jesus’ time resented deeply this oppressive right of the emperor to control their country so absolutely. Some Pharisees were included among the more aggressive opponents to the Roman rule. Here they are trying to trap Jesus – either to say something incriminating against the emperor by suggesting that Jews should not pay their taxes or prove that he is not a good, loyal, patriotic Jew by approving of the emperor’s tax plan.

             Jesus won’t bite on the bait. “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God.” (22:21) We Baptists would cheer this separation of church and state.

             I would suggest that we face, every day, all sorts of choices that put us in-between God and powerful influences in our world. Let me stress that I don’t believe that God is against every thing that the world offers. We are not being commanded to be ascetic monks, hiding away from the temptations of the world.

            But one of the values of this incident is to challenge us to be wise, discerning and faithful in the choices we make. Culture is a very powerful force. Governments have much influence upon us. Media and technology are consumed by us with few if any filters.  Modern Caesars still imprint their iconic images that makes us captive to powers of politics, commerce, and secularism.

           Jesus provides a way to live in such a world with integrity, authenticity, honesty, and faithfulness.  Make choices that honour God and his Creation.  Jesus brings the reign of God and with this reign comes justice, peace (shalom), righteousness, mercy, compassion, equality and a whole new frame of reference for how we are citizens of a new sacred reality. Work for those things in our world.

          Jesus does not want nor does he need to set up some alternative government to Caesar. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." (John 18:36) He is rejecting violent revolution to restore Israel, which some were advocating.  He seeks a more peaceful counter-movement to both Rome and the Jewish resistance movement of the day.

         Its coinage is the price of love; freely, unconditionally and sacrificially given.

 
LENT 2016 - GOING TO JERUSALEM

Sunday, Second Sunday in Lent

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22: 1 – 14

            This is a very different telling of the parable of the banquet than is in Luke 14: 16 – 24. In Matthew’s version, things go from bad to worse, as the king takes out his vengeful anger on the ones who spurned the king’s invitation to the wedding banquet.

This is another very uncomfortable parable, making us squirm in our seats, challenging us to take stock of our lives and discipleship. Perhaps, it should come with a warning: "This parable contains violence and adult scenes meant for a mature audience only. Some viewers may find it offensive. Discretion is advised."

            Be that as it may…

            “Look, honey; we received this fancy, gold-embossed invitation from the king. His son is getting married and we’ve been invited to the wedding banquet.”

            “Oh, no!  None of our friends will be going.”

            “The banquet is in a month.”

            “Oh, no! I haven’t got enough time to buy a new outfit.”

            “It’s at the palace.”

            “Oh, no! I suppose we’ll have to bring an expensive gift.”      

“They’re serving roast venison.”

            “Oh, no!  I am a vegan!”

            “There’ll be dancing.”

            “Oh, no! You can’t dance!”

            “We’re supposed to reply ASAP.”

            “Oh, no! Make up some excuse. They won’t miss us.”

            “It says we have to come, or else.”

            “Oh, no! Or else what? Do you think the king is going to invite some poor riff-raff right off the streets; not likely.”

            “But it’s the king.”

            “Oh, no! What is he going to do to us? Who does he think he is? We pay his taxes just so he can have that fancy palace of his and all those servants.”

             “It is such a nice invitation.”

            “Oh, no! I’m late for palates. Put it on the counter; we’ll talk about it later.”

             For many are called, but few are chosen!

           

 
LENT 2016 - GOING TO JERUSALEM

Saturday, February 20

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants: Matthew 21: 33 – 45


           

The problem with gated-communities (especially religious gated ones) like the one is this parable (see v.33) can be that those on the inside think they are protected from the outside world. They don’t have to let anyone in whom they don’t like or who threatens their security or upsets their private, little enclave. This little piece of paradise is theirs, and theirs alone.

No unwelcome visitors. (Perhaps, not even Jesus!)

There are some echoes of OT texts here that Matthew’s Jewish readers might have recalled.

In a positive sense, God’s people are surrounded by God’s ever-present protection. “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance,” (Psalm 32:7).

During the Great Exodus, the people are warned, “Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up - make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God, the God who delivered you from Egyptian slavery… If you start thinking to yourselves, "I did all this. And all by myself. I'm rich. It's all mine!" - well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors - as it is today,” (Deuteronomy 8: 11-18, The Message)

Not to remember God’s providence has serious consequences: “And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down, (Isaiah 5:5). 

            The parable of the wicked tenants is not one of Jesus’ gentler stories, but a frightening one. The hired workers turn out to be greedy, violent, selfish workers who acted as if they owned the place. Even the landowner’s son is treated with utter contempt and killed violently.

            It would be natural for us to see in this story the events that led to Jesus’ own death on the cross. It vividly illustrates the words from John’s Gospel: “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.” (John 1:11)

            But we might also be tempted to apply the message of this story to today’s Church. The parable reminds us that we don’t own the kingdom; we are not entitled to it; but we are workers within its great vision to produce fruit. We are indeed privileged to be part of God’s plan for the future under Christ’s rule, but we don’t get to make the rules.

            Too often, we act as if we know what’s best. This is my/our church. This is my/our building. This is my/our money. As a Baptist I defend local, church autonomy rigorously, too. But there are other times I think that this autonomy (just as much as any church hierarchy) is going to be the death of us.

            I have often told the story of a congregation who was sitting on over $500,000 in reserves, fought continually over it, and dwindled in size until it had to close, still fighting and sitting on all that money.

            Jesus’ words condemn us as “miserable wretches,” (41). That sounds awfully harsh and judgmental, I know. There is nobody to blame but ourselves. 

But frankly, the church of the future will be far different than what it has been lately. The new tenants of the Church of the future will be focused on producing fruit that builds up the whole kingdom for God. The new tenants of the Church will focus on social justice, tearing down fences, loving one’s neighbours, building up inclusive communities, celebrating each person’s giftedness, and all, in turn, will celebrate the Giver of gifts, and by so doing, eagerly and generously welcome the living Spirit of Jesus, unconditionally, into its midst.

LENT 2016 - GOING TO JERUSALEM

Friday, February 19
The Parable of Two Sons - Matthew 21: 28 – 32

             “I don’t want to!” I expect there’s not a parent alive who has not heard some rendition of those words from a child.

           Clean up your room! I don’t want to!

           Eat your vegetables! I don’t want to!
           Do your homework! I don’t want to!

           Get off that computer!  I don’t want to!

            Sometimes, the “I don’t want to” becomes “I don’t have to.” (Just ask any church nominating committee.) And sometimes it becomes, “you can’t make me!” (Just ask any church nominating committee.)

            In this parable there are two sons. Their father asks them to do some work on the family farm. One refuses, but has a change of heart and goes to work. The other son promises that he would go, but never shows up for work. “Which of the two did the will of the father?” (v.31)

            Oh, is this a trick question, Jesus? Why are you asking me?

Look, Jesus, I meant to show up at the Feed the Hungry supper to help but it was snowing. Yes, I know that I signed up for the bible study but it’s on my favourite night for TV. I was just about to get up and go to church, but I fell asleep again. I was all set to volunteer at the Food Bank but a friend phoned and invited me to a hockey game. Yes, the pastor asked me to be on that committee, but I… don’t… want … to!!!! He can’t make me!

In a book that I am currently reading by my favourite O.T scholar/theologian, Walter Brueggemann, he points out that the biblical concept of obedience is not about doing one’s duty or being obligated because of hard-core, religious rules. Obedience arises out of the wonderful, loving relationship that we enjoy with God.  

As in any free, loving relationship one of our greatest delights is in making the other happy. We do unto others, or God, not out of sullen duty or fear of punishment but because when we witness the happiness of another it gives us such great joy, too. This becomes our “true heart’s desire”.

Brueggemann writes, “Thus one in love is constantly asking in the most exaggerated way, what else can I do in order to delight the other? ...one does not count the cost, but anticipates that when the beloved is moved to joy, it will be one’s own true joy as well.” (Truth-Telling as Subversive Obedience, p.10)

He defines obedience “as the concrete, visible way of enacting and entering that desire, so that duty converges completely with the desire and delight of communion,” (p.12).

Jesus says all of that in his question, “Which of the sons did the will of his father?” Ask yourself, at least, why the first son changed his mind about helping his father. I think it was because he loved his father.

The Father needs his children to work the family business. The Kingdom needs people to step up and do the work. But out of love, out of joy, out of the blessings one gives and receives when doing the Father’s will.

Glad you decided to show up. Grab a hoe. Here’s a wheelbarrow. The back-forty needs weeding. There are work gloves in the shed. 

By the way, where’s your brother?       

LENT 2016 - GOING TO JERUSALEM

Thursday, February 18

The Authority of Jesus Questioned - Matthew 21: 23 – 27

            The Jewish leaders demanded that Jesus show his graduation diploma to prove that he had the right qualifications to do what he was doing. “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority.” (21:23)

 Jesus, what are your credentials? Do you have any references? What medical school did you attend? What seminary did you go to? Do you have a business degree since you are handing out financial advice? Do you have your social work degree if you are planning to work among the poor? Did you get a police check? Do you have a permit to hold a public rally?

Don’t get me wrong – credentials are important. I want a doctor who has a bone fide certificate hanging on his or her wall, if and when I am facing surgery. Just because someone has googled how to fix a car, doesn’t make someone a qualified, expert mechanic.

Nevertheless, the chief priests and the elders are suspicious of Jesus’ qualifications. Too often, religious leaders, both then and even now, can be so protective of their status, knowledge, and influence. We can become so defensive, and then resistant towards new ideas, new approaches and change, just as much if not more, than any lay person.

Once you allow Jesus loose among the common folk, who knows what wild and woolly ideas they might come up with. “Love one another.” “Go the extra mile.”  Samaritans are good neighbors. Women are treated equally. Eat with tax collectors. It just never ends. Good grief, where did this man ever learn his theology! He must be stopped.

Jesus would not be trapped into their narrow theology. So he throws the question back at them as to the divine or human origins of his cousin, John’s work. This was a no-win debate for these religious, stuffed shirts. Which isn’t to say that they were any more convinced that John or Jesus had the right, sacred stuff, but that they didn’t want to find themselves painted into a religious corner with no way out and lose face in the process. So, I imagine they harrumphed, shook their heads, and strode out of there with their noses stuck up in the air, the hems of their robes flapping in the breeze.

With the spirit of God coursing through his life, Jesus indeed did have what it took to carry out God’s mission. He had been developing this sacred mission since birth, it would seem. There was a lot of work to be done. Redemption and salvation, healing and loving, compassion and grace, mercy and justice were imbued in the fabric of his total being. What God was doing through him was the only authority he needed.

In that Spirit, what authenticates your following in Jesus’ steps? Do you just point to your baptismal certificate and rest on its laurels? Do you claim membership status in your church and think that this is enough? Do you show off your Bible and wave it around like it was proof of your commitment? These are good things, by and large, but the truly authentic Christian life is the lively imitation of Jesus, in the practice of his good words and good work.

And don’t let any one tell you anything differently!

LENT 2016 - GOING TO JERUSALEM

Wednesday, February 17

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree - Matthew 21:  18 - 22

             At first blush, this act of cursing the poor, fig tree seems rather petulant of Jesus. Jesus was hungry and hoping to find some figs still left on the tree; he condemned it when he found none. 

But let’s be careful here – this is not the same as going to the fridge in the middle of the night, to enjoy that last piece of chocolate cake and discovering that one of the kids ate it earlier. My, my, such language…           

            There is much symbolism in this text, which a Jewish reader would easily appreciate. A fruit-bearing tree is a familiar image of prosperity and future blessing for God’s people. “They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper,” (Psalm1:3).  

This fig tree, though, has nothing on it but leaves. It may look good, but there is not even a dried-up fig from last season to satisfy Jesus’ hunger.

            There are the soft-hearted among us who feel the fig tree gets a raw deal from Jesus, because it wasn’t even fig-bearing season. Jesus was being very unreasonable in his expectations.

But maybe that is the point. There are parables and teachings which suggest that, as disciples of Jesus, we need to be always ready, always prepared. There are no excuses, no alibis, no justification for fruitlessness, no rationalization that excuses us from giving out when called upon by Christ: "Be prepared in season and out of season," (2 Timothy 4:2).

Fruitlessness is dealt with rigorously: "I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit., because apart from me you can do nothing. whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the firs, and burned." (John 15: 5 - 6). Ouch!

We can always find or make reasonable excuses for our lack of Christian productivity, growth, and nurture for ourselves and others. We may think that as long as we just look good, and look the part, that’s enough.

In the past God has always distanced himself painfully from his people when they failed in their responsibilities for bearing fruit and blessing others. “The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree-- all the trees of the field--are dried up. Surely the joy of humankind is withered away.” (Joel 1:12)

In his prophetic action of cursing the fig tree Jesus has demonstrated that once again the people are neglecting their stewardship of blessing others, and therefore “failing” God.

Jesus has an appetite for us, his disciples, and therefore his Church, to bear fruit. We should not take his hunger for the building of his kingdom lightly. We may think that we look healthy and be satisfied with green leaves and shoots but we need to be always producing real fruit, living out his Love and Grace in our world.

“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:20)       

 LENT 2016 -GOING TO JERUSALEM

Tuesday,  February 16

Jesus Cleanses the Temple - Matthew 21: 12 – 17

            Many of us really dislike housecleaning. It seems such a bother to drag out the heavy, vacuum cleaner. I wonder if I can get away just dusting around the all the knickknacks without having to move them out of the way. Cleaning the toilet is such a grungy task. When was the last time that I swept behind the fridge?

Jesus was doing some much-needed house-cleaning as he swept through the Temple and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the merchants who were selling their religious wares and services.

Jesus was very angry at the state and condition of the Temple. The Temple had become more about the cost of doing religious business than about being the representative home of God. The spiritual air of the place had gone stale. The dust of hypocrisy had piled up in the corners. The clutter of religious exploitation was crowding out the spirit of worship. Like a homemaker on a mission, with a mop and a broom in hand, no dirt or grime being safe, Jesus strode into the Temple and becomes Mr. Clean.

I suppose that this could, and frankly maybe should, apply to so many of our churches. It alarms me as to how stagnant and stale our churches have become – just doing business as usual. I am sure that there has been many a pastor or others in church leadership whose eyes have lit up when considering Jesus’ audacity and boldness here.

But I am also thinking that if, as Paul says, our bodies are a temple, then maybe each of us should be doing a little, personal house-keeping ourselves. What do we, as individuals, need to do to allow the fresh, clean Spirit of Jesus to blow through our lives, clear out the cobwebs, remove the grit and grime, sweep away the stale sinfulness, and scrub away the persistent stains that infect our lives?

            “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16)