Bridging the Divide

It’s a familiar problem.  We all like to believe that our understanding of an issue, or whatever is happening around us, is right.  At the very least we like to think we have the right opinion or the right attitude.  Because of our disposition people who differ from us in their attitude or opinion about something are usually wrong.  We hear it all the time; I am right but you are wrong.

It is easy to fall into this trap.  We divide our selves into all kinds of categories – liberal or conservative, democrat or republican, religious or atheist, self-righteous or humble, those who are “in the know” and those who are left out. 

It was like this with the Pharisee and the tax collector as we heard in today’s gospel.  This story is found only in Luke’s gospel, and while it may be hypothetical it nevertheless makes a powerful statement.  The Pharisee was righteous; he kept the law, attended worship in the temple on a regular basis, and lived a good and lawful life.  The tax collector also went up to the temple, but he had to stand “far off” because he was an agent of the Roman occupiers and was not welcomed.  In fact, he was despised and shunned because of his position.

The Pharisee and the tax collector represent two stereotypes that were familiar to first century Jewish and early Christian communities.  They were polar opposites.  The Pharisee was a righteous person, prayerful, faithful, generous, and devout.  He was a person with whom it was difficult to find fault.  The tax collector, on the other hand, was a terrible person, hated by just about everyone.  He often extorted money from his own people.  Those who listened to Jesus telling this story likely concluded that God would ignore the tax collector.  He certainly was not worthy or devout like the Pharisee.

By anyone’s definition the tax collector was a sinner, alienated from God and his fellow citizens.  He collaborated with the enemies of his people for the sake of his own safety and gain.  However, he was aware of his situation and called out to God for mercy.  He knew his failings, and he knew he was in need of repentance.  He acknowledged that through the power of prayer change was possible.

The tax collector stood some distance away from the temple.  We are told that he did not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”  It was generally thought that tax collectors were on a level with robbers; they possessed no civic rights, and were shunned by all respectable people. The tax collector, by beating his breast, demonstrated an expression of the deepest contrition.  Jesus said, “I tell you, this tax collector went home justified, rather than the other.” 

This parable pits the Pharisee’s public prayer thanking God for not being like “those other people,” against the tax collector’s beating his breast and pleading for mercy. The central issue is about the kind of treatment one person gives to another.  It is about the religious qualities of kindness and virtue; it is not about discrimination and judgment.

Jesus’ point was that God decides who is justified.  God welcomes the hopeless sinner and rejects the self-righteous.  God is the God of those who despair and who truly repent.  The Pharisees repeatedly asked Jesus, “Why do you associate with this underclass, these outcasts who are shunned by all respectable people?”  Jesus told the Pharisees, “They need me, because they are truly repentant, and because they have faith and are grateful for God’s forgiveness.”

God has no favorites.  God hears the cries of the weak, the oppressed, the widow, the orphan, those who are well off and those who are poor.  God’s love is extended to everyone.  The end of the story tells us the tax collector went home “justified rather than the other.” In stark contrast the Pharisee returned to the temple to continue in his self-righteous life.

The problems we have today in bridging divisions and distributing justice in a fair and equitable manner have no easy solution.  While we do what we can to build communities of justice, equality, peace and opportunity for everyone, discrimination and prejudice continue to dominate relationships among individuals and groups.

Do we pray the way the Pharisee did, thanking God for the good and self-righteous life we enjoy, or do we ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness to guide us in changing our lives and those of others for a better and more virtuous future?  May we do as Paul said in his letter to Timothy, ask the Lord to rescue us “from every evil attack and save [us] for his heavenly kingdom.  To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Pray, and do not lose heart

Ever since the Great Recession of 2008 we have been living in a turbulent and unsettling time both in our nation and throughout the world.  In spite of the economic recovery and related improvements,  our national government is in disarray and the political climate is fixated on egregious and abhorrent behavior rather than on policies to move our country forward in a positive direction.

An article last week by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times stated, “We have too much deferred maintenance to fix, too much deferred leadership to generate and too much deferred reimagining to undertake to wait another four years to solve our biggest problems, especially in this age of accelerating technology and climate change.”  Friedman is arguing for a renewed sense of good government and a transformation that will meet the needs of all our citizens.

The biblical readings appointed for today from Jeremiah, Luke and Timothy tell us about our faith and how we can live in the midst of these anxious times.  While all that is happening is different from the ancient days of the prophet Jeremiah, the core message of his prophecy rings true.  Jeremiah said, “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-- a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days:… I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 

Jeremiah’s was a plea for a better future.  To apply it to our time we need a renewed commitment from our government leaders; an understanding that they are elected to serve the people – all the people of every race and creed.  The poor, immigrants, and those oppressed because of gender are equal and share in our constitutional right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The people in Jeremiah’s time had lived in exile in Babylon.  The city of Jerusalem and the Temple had been destroyed, and the people were anxious and insecure.  But then God announced that the restoration of the city was coming.  God’s law of love and justice will be written in their hearts, and the people will be transformed; their relationship with God will be renewed.

Many years after Jeremiah’s time Jesus proclaimed God’s justice to those who pray always and do not lose heart.  He told a parable about an unjust judge who did not respect anyone but granted justice to a widow who kept bothering him.  In Jewish society at the time of Jesus a widow had no legal standing.  Widows were among those who lived on the margins of society.  So Jesus said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

If nothing else the widow in continuing to bother the unjust judge was persistent.  She kept after him until he relented and granted her request.

What about us? How do we practice the faith we profess?  We lose heart when we feel powerless and think that whatever we do will not make a difference.  But actions matter.  How we relate to others by caring for them, loving them and working for justice in the lives of everyone makes an impact on the whole community.

What about prayer?  Our need for prayer serves as a means for reflection about ourselves and about all that happens around us.  We persist in prayer by not losing heart in our hope for a better day for all people.  Jesus said that God will grant justice to those who pray, “who cry to him day and night.”  As we heard in St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, … how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.… I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. …Always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.”

So, as we live through this difficult period in our history feeling bereft because of the political climate and all the problems around us, let us be persistent in prayer and not lose heart.  Amen.

Embracing Faith

The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile in Babylon. The letter said they were to seek the welfare of the city where they were in exile, and “pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”  The point of Jeremiah’s letter was that, despite the destruction of Jerusalem, the captivity of the Israelites, and all the hardship they had to endure, contributing to the welfare of Babylon would benefit them.  

I cannot help but think of all the refugees around the world who have left their homes and native lands essentially to live in exile in a strange land.  Many thousands of them are living in settlements that are rustic and primitive at best with meager amounts of food and clothing, contaminated water, and diseases like malaria, chronic diarrhea, and other debilitating conditions.

According to the New York Times, “A vast majority of the more than four million refugees want to return to Syria once the war there ends. For that reason, most have stayed in the region, often languishing for years in camps in Lebanon and Jordan, rather than migrating to Europe or attempting to enter the United States. According to estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are some 634,000 refugees still in Jordan, 1.1 million in Lebanon and 2.3 million in Turkey.”  Unless refugees are settled in hospitable environments and provided with opportunities for the basic necessities of life, there is no way they can improve the welfare of the places where they are.

Here at home we have many former refugees and immigrant people who are contributing to our common welfare and the well-being of our communities. Ours is a place of welcome and hospitality.  We can always do better, but those who come here and settle in our cities are grateful.

Gratitude is the subject of the story of the Samaritan leper who was cured by Jesus.  Lepers were outcasts who were alienated from the community.  They were like exiles or refugees in their own land.  The healing that Jesus provided for ten people who were diseased restored them to the community of God’s people.  It was a sign of salvation but only one of those who were healed, a Samaritan foreigner, offered praise to God and thanked Jesus.  Then Jesus said to the grateful person, “Get up and go your way; your faith has made you well.”  The leper was healed; his faith had brought God’s saving grace into his diseased life.

Jeremiah’s sense of well-being and justice in the cities where we are, and gratitude or thankfulness for God’s grace and love are hallmarks of our faith.  The Rev. Jay Sidebotham, an Episcopal priest and author, writes a blog in RenewalWorks titled “Monday Matters.”  This past week he shared a column from the Wall Street Journal about an interview with a teenager.  The young person said,  "I love being Episcopalian. You don't have to believe anything."  Jay wrote that it was great that this young person felt welcomed. But it made him think about what it means to believe, to trust. to give one’s heart to something? Are there things he hoped she would embrace?

Jay offered a list of things he embraces in our Christian faith.  I like what he offers but my list, although built on his, is somewhat different.  As I share my list, think of things you embrace in your faith and life.  Here are seven items:

1. God is the author and creator of all that is.  Scientific discoveries and evolution are part of the created order.  All of us live within the life of God.  Our lives are a gift and we have the freedom to think for ourselves and to act as we choose.

2. As stated in the Book of Genesis, Creation is good.  It is a gift, the work of a loving God who declares it to be blessed. Creation prompts an attitude of gratitude and wonder. The changing seasons, birds, animals, and fish; wind, earth, stars, and water are marvels of creation.

3. God is about relationships. The Spirit of God is present in all the racial, gender and ethnic diversity that comprises communities of mercy, love and forgiveness.  The goal of relationships is virtue and compassion for those in need.   

4. God listens when we pray.  Prayer is about the way we live and involves what we have done and what we have left undone, our love and concern for others, the thanks we feel and express for all we have received, and the glory and praise we offer to God.

5. We are called by the Spirit of God through Baptism to continue following the teaching of Jesus, to share his meal of thanksgiving in holy communion, to resist evil, to proclaim the Good News of God, to serve Christ in all persons by loving our neighbors, and to work for justice and peace respecting the dignity of every human being.

6. The Bible tells an epic and sacred story.  It is not a literal story, but a guide for living within the historical reality of all the people of God, past, present, and future.  In the midst of life’s uncertainties and ambiguities, the Biblical story is about doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.

7. The sacrament of Holy Eucharist sustains us by giving us bread for the journey, nourishment for the soul, and life-giving sustenance in our ministries of service to people in need.

Within the context of what we embrace in our Christian faith, I am confident that Jeremiah’s plea to seek the welfare of the community, and the Samaritan’s thankfulness for health and wholeness are true pathways toward realizing changed and transformed lives.  Amen.

Rekindling the Gift of God

This morning I want to say something about the current political climate and the role of religion as we consider our civic responsibility in the midst of an uncertain and politically charged environment.  To make clear where I am coming from as a Christian and a person who relies on our biblical history and tradition, I am committed to the messages of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus and his followers in the New Testament.  The question for me and I hope for you is how are we to interpret these sacred texts and their meaning for us during a time of anxiety about our common future? 

During the 1980’s and 90’s there was a program in our Diocese that brought many Episcopalians and other Christians and Jews together for study and conversation.  The program was called the Abrahamic Accord.  Its focus was to increase understanding between our two faith traditions by examining where they were compatible and where they differed.  I recall attending several of the conversations and listening to scholars from both traditions on a variety of topics. 

Now, twenty years later, there is a renewed desire to rekindle the conversation.  So, two weeks ago a few of us from All Saints went over to Temple Beth-El on the East Side to listen to Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman and the Rev, Mark Sutherland as they addressed the question, “What do we believe, and how does this shape the way we feel about the current tone of civic debate in America?”

Mark Sutherland and Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman are struggling along with other religious leaders, myself included, who are looked to for guidance, not of a political nature, but from the perspective of our Jewish and Christian prophetic tradition.

Our lives are shaped by the public and private attitudes that influence our stories.  Many of these are our individual stories.  They are of two kinds: stories that are dominated by fear give rise to influences that divide us; and stories that focus on healing and liberation give rise to the shaping of virtue.

As Christians and Jews we share a biblical epic story of the prophetic vision of justice, equality, inclusion and peace.  Our biblical story says that our ultimate allegiance is to God alone: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, you shall worship no other gods but me.”

We learn in the Exodus story that God liberated the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and led them to a land of promise.  Then the prophet Isaiah continued this story of good news in announcing, “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Many years later Jesus taught in the synagogue in Nazareth where he had been raised.  It was the Sabbath and he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah where he found this text:  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant.

This story of biblical freedom from bondage and the command of the Lord to continue the work of liberation is central to both Jewish and Christian traditions.  It is our story and its application to our current condition is what is needed to build virtue and our common aspirations of hope for a better future.  I am deeply troubled by the current political dialogue because too many people today live in bondage lacking opportunity for freedom and justice.  There is not enough attention being given to the needs of the poor, and expressions of kindness are minimal at best. We need a greater exchange of ideas and the development of policies that are enlightened by the values of compassion, reason and virtue.

In today’s Epistle reading, the Second Letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy from prison.  He said, “I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed…of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Paul asked Timothy to “rekindle the gift of God” because it is God who gives us a “spirit of power and love and self-discipline.”

Paul said, “join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling…. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.”

Ours is a holy calling today just as it was in the time of Isaiah, in the time of Jesus’ disciples, and in the time of Paul and Timothy.  We are to adhere to the standard of sound teaching as we have received it in the Bible; and we are to share the faith and love we have received through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Through our baptism the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are given the power and grace to minister to one another and to those in need.

You and I share the faith that has been entrusted to us.  That faith is what we celebrate when we gather for worship.  It is the faith that informs the values we live by every day.  It is the faith we celebrate and the reality of God’s compassion that is beyond all the political pronouncements and stories that divide and separate us from our true calling which is our allegiance to God.  Amen.