The righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees

The righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees

         I know you didn’t hear the start of the Gospel, because you’re stuck on the ending… so let’s start there.

         What’s Matthew talking about when he writes, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

         Brothers and sisters, being religious people is a dangerous business. It is very easy to fall into all kinds of traps—traps Matthew’s community knew all too well.

         Being human, being naturally self-interested, we have a tendency to make the faith about ourselves

—why do end times people always claim the end of the world is in their generation—because they are self-interested—it’s all about me.

Likewise, when we do good works, they are often tainted. How many selfies are done at a soup-kitchen? More than you’d think.

         Avoid the trap of selfishness, keep your good works hidden, so that people might see God’s good works done through you.

         Avoid hypocrisy—a term that Matthew invented, he coined it

—it used to be, in his time, a critique of bad actors, actors who would wear one character’s mask and act like they were a different one…

Matthew pointed out that people act that way too, especially religious people

—we act like Christians in Church and cruel at home,

we bring one persona to the pew and another to the park.

         We’re called as Christians to struggle to be a whole person inside and out,

at home and at work,

in your secular and your sacred life

—don’t allow your heart to be torn asunder…

         and brothers and sisters in Christ, I’ll remind you there is another side to that, we have to ensure our congregations are places where you can be who you are

—no mask, no pretend nice, none of that

—let’s not force people to be two-faced or hypocrites.

         There is also the danger of majoring in the minors—focusing on the trinkets and outward form of faith, while the core rots away

—as Isaiah writes, what is a proper fast? “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”

         Playing church, and forgetting ceaseless prayer, acts of mercy, and working for justice

—that ain’t going to do it.

         Finally, Matthew warns that the cardinal sin of Pharisees of every age is pushing God into the past. The Pharisees, even when they come to Jesus to hear his teachings, don’t see God at work in him…

and how often do we do the same? The Spirit is nudging us a certain way—and we tell her *shhhh* because God acted in the past

—God acted with Moses and Ruth and Jesus and John, but we’re living in the present. I wonder if it is simply a defensive mechanism—following Jesus as disciples today, can be as off-putting as it was 2000 years ago, but that distance makes it all easier to ignore.

         But again, we are his disciples, and we follow him wherever he leads, even when it is unpopular or unpleasant or unexpected.

         So, yes, when Matthew talks about exceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees he’s talking about:

-Pointing to God, not self.

-Wholeness, not hypocrisy.

-The center of the faith, not the window dressing.

-Finding God in the present, not relegating the faith to the past.

         And on that last point, it is worth asking how? How do we stay faithful to the Law and the Prophets? How does Jesus fulfill them, in such a way that they speak to us today?

         According to Matthew, it has to do with story. Jesus’ life and his parables re-interpret God acting, and when we take his life and teachings seriously, we can start to re-tell them in light of the world around us

—a parable of seeds sewn gain new life when planted in our 21^st century America soil

—workers waiting for a Lord to put them to work in their vineyard looks very familiar when we see them too in our local Home Depot parking lot.

         Clear eyed about our present realities and captured by a creative biblical imagination

—telling that old old story in a new new way

—we can figure out what it means to be a disciple today.

         And when we get that—when we are caught, even temporarily, by those connections

—our story and God’s story facing each other like a mirror

—it’s a story no man can hide, its worth sharing!

We tell people about this grand story God has allowed us to be a character in.

We witness to the weaving of our lives into the life of God!

         We all are the light of the world

—this good news God has given us through Jesus Christ

—how it gets us through, how it changes you, how it makes our life into a heavenly spotlight

—it can’t be hidden.

When you tell your story, how God enters your story, how the word of scripture lifted up by Jesus, lifts you up

—it is a flame that can light the life of many.

         Don’t hide that story of God and you—someone needs to hear it!

         You don’t like sharing, you say?

You’re an introvert—sharing a flame like that might extinguish your own inner fire… that’s okay—you all aren’t just light, but also salt!...

You are salt!

         In everything you do, being faithfully present with people

—that’s enough

—you are salt and you can spice everything you touch. You might not even notice it, but just showing up, doing all the tasks of life in as faithful manner as you can

—that sanctifies those tasks, it makes holy all aspects of life.

Holy the altar with communion upon it

/ holy too the kitchen table around which you share food and fellowship.

Holy the pulpit,

/holy too a word spoken in defense of neighbor.

Holy the font,

/ holy too the sewers running well, electricity getting to where it needs to go, bridges maintained and streets safe from crime.

Watch out for the pitfalls of faith.

Hear the story of God and find your place in it.

Tell that story.

Live it.

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Law Court, a reflection on Micah 6:8

1.

          Here ye, here ye!

          The Court Case, entitled Micah 6:8: Lord God v. The People, is ready for jury selection.

          You are all called to jury duty!

          Yes, you, and you, and you!

          And you, here, church building, roof made from solemn and just trees, walls of stone and cement foundations.

          You, little hills and Washington Rock!

          You deer family and Raritan River—you Atlantic Ocean and majestic continents.

          All that has a voice, hear God’s case.

          All that lives and moves and has its being, hear the accusation the LORD God has against the people, listen with great granite ears to the controversy o’ Earth!

2.      “O my people, what have I done to you? In what way have I wearied you? Answer me and I will be satisfied!

          For the earth I enveloped with atmosphere, the water with hydrogen bonds and formed you all from carbon and other stuff! From the humus I made humans!

          I rescued Noah and revealed myself to Abraham and kept faith with him when he traveled from Ur to Israel.

          I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

          I made promise after promise to you.

          I infused my prophets with hopes and dreams for your sake!

          Mary brought you and I eye to eye, I came to you, Word made flesh.

          When you are poor in spirit and mourning—I dwell with you.

          When you are meek or hungry and thirsty for righteousness, I fill you!

          When I see mercy, purity, peace, righteousness to the point of persecution and revilement—I enter into your life and reign in it for your sake!

          In short, I have saved you at every turn and continue to!

          And you seem not to care! You do not live like the Kingdom of Heaven is real.

3.      What then do you want from us then? Shall we grovel?

          Should I scrape my face against the pavement? Sacrifice goats until they call me Billy the kid? Or even cows… send a herd to the slaughter for your sake? Pour oil on an altar until it looks like the Exxon-Valdez oil spill?

          Or how about humans? Shall we offer the next generation, to make You happy?

          That’s all rather impractical though… we’re modern right? We can do better, right?

          What if I spent my whole life in service of You? Or built up an institution for Your sake? Or built grand cathedrals to the sky and in my soul for your sake, God?

          What if I gathered every ounce of wit and will that I have and pointed it at the problem of finding You, would You then be satisfied?

          What if I built a neon sign the size of Saturn that pointed to you?

          What if I gathered power and influence around me, raised myself up by sheer willpower and guts, to the pinnacle of our society and made sure Your name was praised on every street corner and household? Would that be enough for You?

4.      Has he not told you O mortals, what is good; what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

          You are called to do justice—

That is, work in your self, and among your whole society, to make sure impartiality and fairness is for everyone, especially those who have been left out.

          You are called to love kindness—

I know, it sounds weak, and doesn’t get much traction, treating people like you’d like to be treated, even if they don’t reciprocate, being the bigger person and building people up even when they are in tear down mode—but I promise is you it is your calling.

          You are called to walk humbly with your God—

Because you know what? Nothing you can do, will do it, will make me love you.

          I loved you when you acted the fool, when you were puny, a loser, and not a soul would look you in your eyes.

          I just wish you’d show the same kind of courtesy to other people that I’ve shown you.

          Notice the poor and mourning, the meek, those sincerely seeking righteousness… the persecuted and reviled, the peaceful, pure, and merciful

If you really want to find me… be among them… because that’s where I am, just as I was for you.

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A Few Thoughts on the March

            I’ve had a number of people say to me, “Man, aren’t those who marched in the Women’s March sore losers. What do they even want? Why would they protest? Why won’t they tell us what they want?”

            Well, first off, check out their website. Also, read this, this, this and this, just to get a sense of why individuals marched. For that matter, if you’re still confused, take a look at a few of their signs to get a sense of why they used their first amendment rights.

The Hats say it all

            They’re wearing pink cat hats, reminding America that we elected this guy:

            Again, we elected this guy. Our choice was between the first woman president and a guy who brags about sexually assaulting women… and that guy is now president. If you can’t understand why that is distressing to a whole bunch of people, especially to women, then you are being willfully blind.

            Remember what a difference having a Black President made for young people of color, that the Obama era raised the ceiling on their aspirations. Well, I can only imagine what glass ceilings the Trump era will construct over the heads our young girls.

Abortion and Planned Parenthood

            Trump is a transactional guy—he isn’t above the carrot and the stick—and he promised Evangelicals the repeal of Roe V. Wade if they elected him. As we saw yesterday his VP was the highest official ever to attend the annual anti-abortion rally. It is reasonable for women to make their voices known, letting the country know that they want safe access to abortion and they don’t want to be held hostage by their body in a way men never can be.

            On top of that, the president keeps demonizing Planned Parenthood, an organization that most women have received medical care from at one time or another. They are saying with a loud voice: “I was screened for Ovarian Cancer there, I get my contraception there, they diagnosed the STD my ex-fiancé gave me, and when I was raped they helped me through hell.”

Immigrants and Refugees

            They marched to affirm that America, at its best, welcomes those seeking a better life and those running for their life. One of the saddest stories in our history is our shameless refusal to grant German Jews asylum from the horrors of Nazi Germany. Bluntly put, the choice the President made regarding refugees from Syria and other Muslim countries means many innocent people will be sent back to their home countries and killed. Their blood is on our hands. Surely raising your voice in lament of this choice is justified.

Russia

            You’ll notice among those signs at the march quite a few involved Putin and Trump, and Trump’s tax returns. It is disturbing that Donald Trump has refused to release his tax returns, initially he said he’d do so after the campaign, now he’s announced he will never release them. If we can’t see if he is in hock to the Russian Government—which most people in the know suggest he is—we can’t assess if he’s making decisions to benefit America or those to whom he is indebted. This is worth protesting about.

            I could go on, talk about BLM and the ACA and pipelines, arrest of journalists, and so on, but at this point it should be pretty obvious, this is more than sour grapes. The protestors have real concerns. They are being at least as patriotic as those who do not march—more so even, I would say, they are continuing to engage in the democratic process, which has always involved more than simply a vote every few years.

Review of "They Are Us"

They Are Us: Lutherans and Immigration by Stephen P. Bouman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“They Are Us” is a book reflecting on immigration by officials from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. It engages with the question of immigration and the lives of immigrants with great kindness. Unfortunately, it was written in 2009, and looking back on these writings now it feels like we’ve crossed some sort of Rubicon, and the insights are written from a much less polarized time.
That’s not to say “They Are Us” isn’t worth reading. Maybe even the voices of the recent past can call us back to a more faithful witness.
One of the central questions asked in the book is about how 9/11 changed how we do immigration here in the USA. The question is: “What kind of community is emerging from ground zero?”
The book spends some time looking at the biblical witness around faithfully ministering to and being immigrants. It looks at the history of immigration in the USA, taking a long view that can shake off some of our recent myopic views.
It tells stories of immigrants to the US both past and present, and ends with examples of churches engaging with immigrant communities well (and becoming immigrant communities).
The focus of the book is on the meaning of immigration, but it does eventually get to four concrete ways immigration reform can be faithful. It must respect family unity, ensure human and worker rights, make sure immigrants can live without fear, and create a path to permanent legal status for immigrants.


View all my reviews

Sermon: The Kingdom of Heaven Calls

          I started that phone call, “Mom, please don’t hang up, this isn’t a joke.”

          I’d flown from Oregon to San Fransciso to  Milwaukee to JKF to Heathrow International Airport in London—I presented my documentation to the Immigration agent—only to be told that since I left the UK 3 months previous they had changed their policy on issuing student visas in country

—it could only be done at a consulate or embassy in the United States.

          So, they took my luggage from me, marched me down to this basement facility, through a cage door, made me empty my pockets, led me through a re-enforced steel door, and into a waiting room with a bunch of Iraqi refugees and a businessman from New York. There was this TV on the wall playing re-runs of Kevin Sorbo’s Hercules on loop.

I’d already been up for well over 24 hours, but I tried to stay wake, it was a strange and scary place, I mean what self-respecting West Coaster wants to be locked up with a New York Businessman, right?...

But eventually I passed out in the chair.

          Some time later a guard shook me awake and took me back out to an office with a telephone—I got one phone call—and called my parents back in the US, “Mom, please don’t hang up, this isn’t a joke.”

          It was the middle of the night for them, but they jumped to, figuring out which flight I was being deported on (they sent me to Chicago), cancelling all their plans and driving cross country to be there when I drug myself off that airplane back onto US soil.

          They were my parents, they couldn’t help but respond when I called.

          So too, we can’t help but respond when the Kingdom of Heaven calls.

Prayer

          We can’t help but respond when the Kingdom of Heaven calls.

And that can be messy, and costly.

When it called John, he was called to a hard and thankless task,

calling people to repentance, including, ultimately, his own ruler, Herod Antipas, who had him jailed and later executed.

          Throughout Christian history confrontation with the powers that be, and the consequences that follow, is a common occurrence

—from Justin Martyr’s explanation of the faith to the emperor of Rome to the early Lutheran church presenting the Augsburg Confession to the Holy Roman Emperor,

--from Dr. King’s famed letter from a Birmingham Jail confronting segregation and white apathy to Christian resistance to repression by the Stasi in communist East Germany.

          Yes, we can’t help but respond when the Kingdom of Heaven calls.

          Now, in today’s Gospel Geography is important, Jesus moves to Capernaum—and in so doing calls it to the future promised in Isaiah

—Isaiah write of Galilee as occupied and in need of a rescue only God could bring

--and that Rescue comes, as God’s rescue always does, and as Paul writes, foolishly and hidden behind the cross.

          This region occupied by Assyria 700 years before Jesus’ birth, and constantly a place pointing to national humiliation, is where the Messiah takes up residence, and he redeems it, not with conquest, or plunder, or religious war,

but through a steady call of,

repentance,

by calling people to be his disciples,

through teaching,

preaching,

and healing

—this is how the Kingdom Comes.

That’s the foolish saving message of the Kingdom—that’s the power of God!

Whenever you get discouraged sisters and brothers

—when the work seems small

—feeding a few hungry people at the Y,

grieving together and getting through,

sending letters of welcome to your new neighbors,

going to a park with the kids to talk about God’s love

—this is how the Kingdom comes!

We can’t help but respond when the Kingdom of Heaven calls.

Look no further than Peter, Andrew, James, and John

—they leave nets and boat and father

—they follow Jesus

—follow him into this kingdom work

—this work that for three years never leaves that tiny and tumultuous sea of Galilee.

Back on their boats, again among their family

—they still do Kingdom work, and it builds even to this very day!

We can’t help but respond when the Kingdom of Heaven calls.

If I was creating the lectionary I would make sure we read verses 23-24 too, because, as I said before, geography is important. They read thus: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. His fame spread throughout Syria… and great crowds followed him from Galilee, the 10 Gentile cities, Jerusalem, Judea and the land of the Nabataeans.”

Jesus lives in Capernaum, his back yard is the sea of Galilee

—he has access to Syria,

the 10 pagan cities, Samaria,

and parts south.

Different peoples and nationalities in each place.

(It’s kind of like what we have right here—North Plainfield, South Plainfield, and Plainfield, each in a different county. The Plainfields, Edison, and Metuchen—all so close together, yet each a distinct identity, and too often separate.)

The rule of God calls ALL people
—the Kingdom of Heaven divides our divisions—

no longer, is the great problem, the great division, between those who can trace their heritage to before the age of Isaiah, and those who are interlopers.

No, the call of the Kingdom of Heaven

—the presence of Jesus

—requires a response, and that response is the important thing,

where we sit in relationship to the reign of God

—that’s the important thing.

It’s kinda like what Paul is talking about

—those divisions,

who baptized you,

if you are Apollo’s gal or Cephas’, whether you come from Jerusalem or Syria

—it doesn’t matter

--you are one in Christ

… the Kingdom has called you!

You needed a cure and Christ came,

you were sick and Jesus healed you,

you needed good news, and there it was

You wanted to know about the Kingdom and it called.

We can’t help but respond when the Kingdom of Heaven calls

—it’s call is more urgent than a transatlantic phone call that starts, “Mom, please don’t hang up, this isn’t a joke.”

It will call us to hard and unpopular things—the right thing even when it appears wrong to everyone else.

Call us to tasks that seem far from heroic or extra-ordinary—yet they are signs of the Kingdom.

Call us to leave everything behind and pick it all back up again with new purpose.

Call us to Unity in Christ.

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