Year B Proper 23 WEDNESDAY 2024 Take Nothing

 Year B Proper 23 WEDNESDAY, 16 October 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Take Nothing”

Collect: Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Gospel Luke 9:1-17

Then Jesus* called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere. Now Herod the ruler* heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, ‘John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he tried to see him. On their return the apostles told Jesus* all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Provisions are there. We believe it or we do not. Providence. Jehovah Jireh, the Lord provides.

The call of faith is one of how we see God. Distant, unconcerned, cool toward the Creation, or not. Intimate, devoted, passionate about our well-being. If God is a God of Abundance, we are often called to set out with nothing in our “proverbial” bags.

It is about making our faith real. “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.” That is a tall order.

I am afraid to admit I am one of those “just in case” packers. I will pack ________[fill in the blank] “just in case.” So much unnecessary and ultimately unwanted gets stuck in the bag, “just in case.” But that is what Jesus wanted his disciples to learn. God will Provide. Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.

When I came home I told Sojo if there is one thing I learned from the Camino, only take what you can carry. Not just on the Camino, but as a life lesson.

There are so many things that I have to put down, so many “just in case” things I hold onto when I need to be letting them go and giving them up.

Maybe the same is true for you, too. 

Sunday I spoke about letting go of that thing that keeps you from fully following Christ. The man who came to him in our Mark reading was addicted to his stuff. The possessions that end up possessing us was his issue, and Jesus wanted to instill in his closest 12 that stuff is not what it is about. Take nothing. Nothing at all.

And when they returned they joyously shared their success. 

It is not accidental that the cherry on the Sunday was the Feeding of the 5,000 in Luke. After taking nothing, they were overwhelmed by Abundance. The two go hand in glove. We step out on faith because we trust. We trust that the one who calls us to empty our reserves will be there to fill our cup as needed. Jesus took a meager offering and made of it a Feast. A feast with leftovers.

As we learn to have faith, to step out in faith with empty satchels and no extra tunics, we begin to see that God is with us and will take care of our needs. When we are asked to stay somewhere, we stay there. We do not look for better digs. When we are rejected, we let go of that rejection and move on, shaking the very dust off our soles. That may sound like an act of scorn against those we are leaving, but I think it is more about us moving on. Forgiving and being free to focus entirely on what is to come. We have to let it go.

When I was on the Camino, I let go of so much that I did not need to drag around, metaphorically and literally. Both were true and oh, so needed. It takes faith. When Jesus returns, how will he find us? Stockpiling and preparing for “just in case,” or letting go and letting God be God? When Jesus returns will he find we have faith? We will see. And so will he. Amen

Year B Proper 23 2024 Let Go

 Year B Proper 23, 13 October 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Let Go”

Collect: Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Amos 5:6-7,10-15

Seek the Lord and live,
or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.

Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
and bring righteousness to the ground!

They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,

you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;

you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.

For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins—

you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.

Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.

Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.

Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Hebrews 4:12-16

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Mark 10:17-31

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

From our Amos reading this morning, it closes with these words…

Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.

Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Last week at Shrine Mont I talked about having the sense to follow God’s best practices for living a decent and good life. We call them commandments, but that can often sound restrictive. Best Practices is our current parlance for doing what we should. The Commands could not be more important for us personally, but Amos is clear that it is not just for us. “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” But he also adds, “Hate evil and love good, establish justice in the gate.” That is equally important.

Now you have to jump into the culture of Israel to understand what is being said. The gate was where people would gather. If you have ever been in the winding streets of an old Middle Eastern town, you would see why the gate was a good gathering space. It was where people came in and went out. It was where the market would meet for the produce of the field could be set up in a stall. And the elders of the town would gather and disagreements could be settled, and punishments could be doled out for those found guilty.

While personally we are to seek good and not evil, we are also instructed collectively to establish justice in the public arena.

We are to be personally and collectively just.

We cannot just be responsible for ourselves. We are our sister’s and brother’s keeper. It is a reminder we are given from some of the oldest stories that we tell.

A righteous, and particularly self-righteous, individual came to Jesus, thinking he had his act together. He had worked hard his whole life to be “righteous.” He had worked hard to be holier than thou, and thou, and thou, and me-ou. He wanted to make sure though. Had he missed anything? Had he gotten every I dotted and T crossed? Had he minded his Ps and Qs?

So he came to Jesus. He had heard him speak and seen the miracles he had performed so obviously God was with him. So he came to the Teacher and asked to appease his worries, and put his mind at ease.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 

Now you may find it shocking what Jesus says here. He just said that no one is good but God. Now Jesus is not saying he is not good. He knows that the man did not see him as anything more than a teacher. Also, I believe, Jesus could see the self-righteousness of the man from his concern over being perfect. Jesus is saying, I think, that this man needs to let go of his obsession with being Good. And not just Good, but Blameless, or even Perfect. He cannot fathom a fault in himself, but is checking with Jesus to be sure. So Jesus goes on… 

You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

He had done the big things, those Best Practices from Moses. But he had been so focused on his checklist that he had missed the whole point. He had been so focused on avoiding evil that he never had been good.

His thing, according to Jesus, was his stuff. He was so fixated on his stuff, he could not let it go.

Now it is easy to take this man’s example and say that God wants us poor. But I think that is a simplistic and reductionistic reading. For this man, this was his one thing. And it is easy to understand why. It was taught, and it still is too often here in America, especially, is this: If you are Rich you are Blessed. If you are really Rich, you must be really Blessed and a favorite of God. This is the key principle of Prosperity Theology, upheld and preached too readily in our country. But it goes back to the Pharisees and before them. And this young man had bought it, hook, line, and sinker.

That was his one thing. And it shows in what Jesus said after.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Even his apostles were struggling with what we now call Prosperity Theology, Rich = Blessed. And Jesus knew that it was pervasive. And I can say that it is as well here and now. Too alive and too well.

For some of us, that may be your one thing that you need to let go of. We can be very good and righteous, and still too obsessed with “Keeping up with the Joneses.”  But we are living very different lives. On the trail of the Camino, Jesus got a hold of me, and let me see what my one thing was. I was shocked and dismayed, and not what I expected. I think the man in our Gospel reading came away with those same feelings. 

When we invite Jesus in to be our Lord and Savior, those words have meanings. A Lord can tell us what to do. A Savior who is our Lord does it so that we can be saved from ourselves. I have shared this poem before but it is so apt here. 

Christ, He requires still, wheresoe'er He comes 

To feed or lodge, to have the best of rooms: 

Give Him the choice; grant Him the nobler part 

Of all the house: the best of all's the heart. -Robert Herrick

Friends, if we invite Jesus in, he will rearrange the furniture. If we invite him in he will check out the whole house. He will look in the closets and the attic and the corners of the basement. He will find the cobwebs, and the things we could have thrown out a long time ago, and the skeletons in the closet.

For this man who came to Jesus, the thing he needed cleaning up was his relationship with his stuff. You have your thing. I have mine, as I learned on the Camino. 

Conversion is not an On/Off switch. There are big things, yes, that are clearly right and clearly wrong.  But so much of life is like a sound board, where we invite Jesus in to be our Sound Engineer, and he tinkers with us. Sometimes we need this dial turned down or up, other times that one. The man was doing so many things “right” according to the law, but his heart was wrong. He could not let go of the thing that would make all the difference.

A story is told of a little boy that was given a little too much lack of supervision at a huge family Thanksgiving dinner. Left alone he had gotten his hand stuck in a vase. It was not just any vase, but a priceless vase that was a family heirloom. It derailed the dinner that so many had traveled hours to attend. It derailed the hours of labor to make the event so special. But the adults paid attention to what needed it, the little boy with the hand in the vase.

They tried water. Nope. They tried soap. Nope. Eventually they called for help, and the EMS crew showed up, and they were dumbfounded. The little boy felt worse and worse as so many people were focusing on him. He did not know what to do.

After everyone had tried everything, the boy finally was able to whisper to his mom. “Mom, I have a question.” 

“Yes, hun. What is your question?”

“I was wondering, what if maybe I let go of my ball, you think that would help?”

As the adults all around groaned, after all this, but thankfully the mom just said, “Yes, let go of the ball.” And the vase slipped right off his hand,  and then the mom was able to turn the vase upside down and get the ball out, too.

This is the same as the man who came to Jesus. No one could see it. No one knew what he was clinging to so closely. Jesus could see underneath the outer veneer that looked so polished and slick and acceptable, praiseworthy even. But Jesus saw a little boy clinging to what he treasured so much and that was what was keeping him from being who he was made to be. As our Hebrews reading said of Jesus:

…we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus sees us for who we are, and loves us as we are, and does what needs to be done to get us to who God made us to be. Believe that. Embrace that. Bring Jesus in to do what only he can do. Nothing hidden. Nothing withheld. And we are brought to the place we need to be. We just have to let go of that thing that holds us back. Amen.

Year B Proper 22 2024 Like A Child

 Year B Proper 22, 6 October 2024

St. James the Less, Ashland, VA on retreat at Shrine Mont

“Like a Child”

Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Now someone has testified somewhere,

“What are human beings that you are mindful of them,

or mortals, that you care for them?

You have made them for a little while lower than the angels;

you have crowned them with glory and honor,

subjecting all things under their feet.”

Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”

Mark 10:2-16

Some Pharisees came, and to test Jesus they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Good morning, friends! Isn’t it wonderful to be on God’s mountain! We have so much to be thankful for, and much of that is the luxury of being together with family and dear friends in a place we cherish.

This morning’s Gospel reading is mostly about divorce, which for those who have experienced it is heartbreaking and hard, and for those outside that experience it is easy to misunderstand or to judge. I do not think that was the point of what Jesus was trying to say, most of it the metaphysical nature of intimacy, and the outcome of a lack of love and compassion on our part.

But before we miss it, I do want to focus on the final section of what Jesus says in today’s readings, and look at the nature of faith.

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

“Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

God’s Kingdom is a gift, a precious gift. A gift we may dismiss, or overlook, or take for granted. It is a gift because it is received. It is something which we are given. We do not earn it, nor do we deserve it. It is something beyond all that. 

It is given because we are loved.

So often, people see those of us who have a life of faith as being restricted or repressed. But the rule of God, the Lordship of Christ in our lives are the gifts of how we can live a life of best practices and full of joy and love.

We are not hindered, but we are delivered from heartbreaks and ramifications of bad choices by following God’s rule in our lives. The Kingdom, and all its implications, is a gift. A gift we can receive. And Jesus says the thing we have some say over to receive said gift.

“Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

So that begs the question, how does a little child receive?

We have all experienced or seen videos of a kid on Christmas morning tearing into her presents. Excited beyond belief. Ripping open the paper and then celebrating, maybe even dancing with the present before it is even out of the box. 

When was the last time you did a jig for the Rule of God in your life?

Sometimes a kid is speechless, in shock of disbelief that this is actually theirs. 

The child has to be encouraged to open it up, and that it is real and it is theirs. Disbelief is another acceptable childlike response to receiving a gift.

Sometimes, too, I have seen a child stop, set the gift aside, and go straight to the giver and hug them. A cuddle in direct response to the overwhelm of joy. The gift is so great the thanksgiving must be immediate and direct. This is another way a child can receive the immediacy of the gift.

Now the jig, the shock, or the affection may be the immediate responses. But what are the long-term childlike ways of receipt?

A child takes it literally and directly. There is no overthinking, or picking intentions apart. It is direct and assumed as real and good and true. A child receives without guile or worry. A child just takes it. And she is appreciative and happy about it.

How might we receive the Kingdom of God like a little child? What do we need to do? Or more importantly, how do we need to be?

Because that is why Jesus came. It is why Jesus needed to come. When Moses gave God’s Commandments to the people, it was about what to do. Do this, and don’t do that. And that only got us so far. It got as far enough to know that we needed something more. We didn’t need to change so much what we did or did not do, but we needed to change. The Us part. We needed to be different. We needed a way to change who we were.

And Jesus came to enable and encourage us to do that.

In our Hebrews reading it speaks to Jesus, and how he is apart and different from all the prophets who came before. He was singular in that instead of just speaking for God, he became a testimony to the nature of God, a very reflection of God in who he was and what he did. And Jesus did it all to bring us home. As our Hebrews reading closes:

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”

We moved from creatures, created by God, to be siblings with Christ, sisters and brothers of Jesus, welcomed home to our eternal home.

We have become new creations through Christ, and in Christ, and for Christ. Wow! Just wow! I could dance a jig, or fall down in holy awe, or run to Jesus and give him a huge hug. One of my favorite hymns…

I will arise and go to Jesus, he will embrace me in his arms.

In the arms of my dear savior, oh, there are ten thousand charms. 

Recently I was reminded of all of this. I have been back from my sabbatical for a week. My body may finally be back in this time zone. I walked across Spain on a pilgrimage that faithful people have been doing for a thousand years. St. Francis actually did it, blessed Francis whose feast day was Friday. For a thousand years people have been doing the Camino de Santiago, the Way of St. James. I started in France and walked over two mountain ranges over a month and a half. I got blisters and infections, and kept going. On doctor’s orders I stopped for a spell, but then continued on, and made it to the destination. 

As I was going I read through the Gospels, and early on I read Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew Jesus quotes Hoseah, saying, “I require mercy not sacrifice.” In fact, he cites this quote twice (9:13 and 12:7). That really hit home. I had to remind myself that yes I was walking this ancient pilgrimage as an act of devotion, but the pilgrimage was not about walking. The pilgrimage was about getting in touch with Jesus. Jesus requires me to have mercy on me and not sacrifice my health for this walk. I reminded myself of that when I grabbed a bus, or a train, or a taxi some days. I still did 78% of it, and I still have all my fingers and toes, thanks be to God. But what it was all about was giving myself a time and space to be who I am in Jesus, and not worry about minutiae of rules, the Thou Shalts and the Thou Shalt Nots. When I am more worried about the doing I am putting the cart before the horse.

It is like when one is learning to dance. You have to look at your feet at times, and count out loud. But to really dance, you have to be a dancer. It has to become who you are, instead of something you do. To really swim you have to be a swimmer. To really be a Christian, you have to come to it like a child.

Ask a kindergarten class, who is a dancer, and most of the kids will raise their hands. Ask them which of them is an artist and most will raise their hands. Ask which of them is a good singer and again, most think they are. They have not become jaded and forgotten their original belovedness and the possibility of being anything that thrives in childlike optimism.

A story is told of a boy who would ride his bike up and down the top of his fence. Somehow, some way, he got his bike up there and rode up and down, back and forth, not thinking about it. And then one day someone came by and screamed, “Hey kid, don’t you know it is impossible to ride your bike on top of a fence?!?!?” And after that day, he never could again.

“Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 

Jesus came to give us a gift. A gift that we can only receive if we receive it like a child. We accept it however we are wired, but we take it for what it is, and for who we are. It changes everything for us if we will let it. We are new creations and we have the authority of being Children of God whose Father has all authority and power and glory and honor and dominion, our Dad is a Dad of Abundance and we have all we need. We just forget it at times.

A kid does not worry about the bill at a restaurant. If Dad took them there, they will get what they need. A kid takes it on faith. When will we learn that lesson?

Friends, as we enter into the life in the Kingdom, and we let God’s Rule take over all that we are and all that we do, we have nothing to Fear, and we can have the Audacity to have Hope in a dark and hurting world. We know how the Story ends. And they all lived happily ever after. It may sound like a Children’s Story, and maybe it is. But unless we receive it like that, can we ever enter the Kingdom of God? 

Think on that. And maybe just take it on faith. Amen

Year B Proper 19 2024 Come Round Right

Year B Proper 19, 29 September 2024 St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA “Come Round Right” Collect: O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant

us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become

partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Mark 9:38-50 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we

tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for

no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of

me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of

water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it

would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were

thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to

enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And

if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to

have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out;

it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to

be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can

you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Grace and peace, dear friends. Grace and peace. I feel like I have been gone a lot longer than 7 weeks. So much longer. But this time I have

had away from you has refreshed, rejuvenated, and I do not think resurrected me is too

strong a sentiment. But we have the coming weeks and months for me to share about that.

This morning let’s look at the Scripture given to us in today’s lectionary. This morning our text speaks to an incident when the disciples were surprised to learn that

they were not the only game in town, but they were told that what they were a part of was

much bigger, more grand, and more beautiful than they had ever imagined and Jesus used it

to broaden their perspective. The last seven weeks have been the same for me, too. The disciples saw someone casting out demons in Jesus' name. But the guy doing this

amazing work of power was not a part of them, not in the Elite 12 disciples following Jesus.Jesus did not care about the status, but rather the outcome.

Jesus saw that good was being done, and that was the point. Good, for goodness sake. Friends, we so often, too often, get so caught up in the details. They say that the devil is in

the details, unless you are talking about liturgy, and I often find God in the minutia there.

But we too often major in the minors, and what we consider minors is the point after all. One of the great friends I made over the last seven weeks repeatedly mentioned how

wonderful it was to have everyone walking in the same direction. Amen to that. That is what

Jesus really wants for us, to be a peace and going together in the same direction. America with its vast spaces and relative isolation has spawned a number of sects of

Christianity peculiar to our nation, and one of those was a peculiar group that was trying to

make it on earth as it was in heaven. They were trying to incarnate “Be ye therefore perfect

as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” They tried to embody a simplicity and purity that most

of us would not even think to attempt. You know of them, probably, even if you do not know the details. A few weeks ago I saw

an article that let me know that there are only 2 of them left. 2, not churches. 2 people,

upholding a tradition that lasted since 1747. Over those 246 years, they grew to the

thousands and had several communities over the country. At their height there were 5,000

of them, but their strict doctrine prevented them from ever growing bigger and is the

reason they dwindled soon to non-existence.

[https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/3/24/22989812/the-last-shakers-sabbathday-lake-maine-shaker-village/] Shakers is what this group was called, a charismatic movement we would call it today. They

got that derogatory name from the ecstatic shaking and rolling on the floor in their worship

when gripped by the Holy Spirit. Their official title is The United Society of Believers in

Christ's Second Appearing. In their practice, they lived communally. They did not evangelize, but encouraged those

attracted to their lifestyle to join with them. Men in one quarter, women in another. They

were strictly celibate, hence not kids and no following generation. The last convert came in

1978 when he was 21. Arnold is his name, and he holds everything in trust with Sister June.

Personally they own no possessions, but even at their height held everything in common.

[Acts 2] We know of their perfect chairs which will last a lifetime, and their brooms, too.

And you may have sung their Shaker Hymn, with so much good in it that will outlast June

and Arnold, and all of us. 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free, 'Tis the gift to come down where I ought to be; And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed; to turn, turn, will be my delight. Till by turning, turning we come round right. They may seem so strange to us, but they are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Arnold

and June are the period on the end of a 246 year long sentence that will finally, and soon,

come to an end. The Shakers tried to live in heaven here on earth, which is admirable, and

lives into Jesus’ words “on earth as it is in heaven.” But their eyes were so fixed on heaven

they were no earthly good. They made it about perfecting the self, and not about turning

that grace received outward. They were blessed and they let it stop there. It is sad, but they are not the only Christians who have chosen that path. As a fellow pastor

here in town likes to say, too many Christians listen to WII-FM. An acronym for “What’s In

It For Me?” We are blessed to be a blessing. We are living in a time when those who scream the name of Jesus the loudest have no idea

what Jesus taught or understand the words he used. As the Shakers sang: True Simplicity.

Love your neighbor. Love your enemy. Welcome the stranger. Do good to those who do

you wrong. Forgive. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Love. Just Love. Simple words. ‘Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free. But somehow, like the Shakers,

some are making it about themselves. The loudest are calling out Jesus’ name, but are

worried about their guns, and the border, and who uses what bathroom more than the

“least of these.” The great irony of all of this is how many people who spout this

oppositional statements to Jesus’ teaching say they take the Bible literally. Except the words

we look at today. Right after the statement to leave the stranger alone and not to stop him using Jesus’ name

to cast out demons, Jesus goes into several verses intentionally exaggerated to make a huge

point. He uses hyperbole, exaggeration, as a rhetorical device. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it

would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were

thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off… And if your foot

causes you to stumble, cut it off… And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is

better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be

thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. Only a few times in the history of the Church have I ever heard of people taking Jesus

literally here. Poor Origen. But the things Jesus said literally (see the above mentioned loving,

giving, forgiving commands) are taken as suggestions, and the metaphorical (pluck out your

eye) are taken literally. But they are imposed on others, not ourselves. Friends, in walking the 400+ miles that I walked across Spain, I had lots of time for soul

searching and delving into those parts of myself I too readily ignore. And what I found

when I hit rock bottom of my soul searching was not how bad I was, or despicable, but that

I was loved beyond belief, I am loved beyond measure, and I have been invited to make the

world more like heaven in what I say and do and think and believe. I am a beloved Child of

God, and so are you and you and you. The isolated Shakers are as well, and the people

shouting Jesus and spewing hate are, too. God’s Grace is poured out, on the Just and the

Unjust. We are beloved. As Jesus closes today, so will I. He talks about being salty. When we use that term to describe someone else, it is never positive. He is a salty ol’ mug,

we might say. And what do we mean? Cantankerous. Mean. Isolated and taking it out on the

world. Rarely good. But Jesus’ way of being Salty is so different. He said… “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can

you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Friends, when it comes to seasoning with salt, you have to do it just right. Too much is

horrible. Too little and it will not serve its purpose. Just wants us Salty, to his taste. Well preserved, enough to last the time we are needed. No more. No less. Just right. As I walked across Spain I saw something so different from what we are used to. In EVERY

supermarket, in many restaurants and bars, sitting out was a pig's leg. It was on a stand.

Hoof still on it. Hair still on it. Hoof to hip bone on full display. Iberian ham, an

unbelievably good treat. It is so perfectly preserved that there is no need for refrigeration,

maybe some Saran wrap to keep the flies off, but other than that they are perfectly prepared

for being out. And then with razor sharp knives, the ham is sliced so thin that you can see

the light come through. For breakfast I was repeatedly given two or three slices on my bread,

about the same area as a slice of our bacon, but the flavor explosion of these “wafer-thin”

[French accent] slices, that was all that was needed. That is the type of seasoning with fire I

am talking about, what I think Jesus is talking about. Seasoned so that I can go the distance. Iberian ham is so perfectly done that it can handle anything. And that is what Jesus wants

for and from us. The Shakers pulled away from the world to avoid sin. The loud shouters

want to chop off hands and legs and pluck out others' eyes to make the world less sinful.

But Jesus wants us to let him season us to be ready for whatever comes our way. In God’s

abundance, we have and will have what we need. For our needs and the tasks at hand. This way, we can fulfill the command that Jesus gave his surprised disciples and to us. “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” That’s it, brothers and sisters. Let Jesus season you, and show it by the peace you show each

other. Look for that these days, especially these divisive days. There are those who are with

us, working for the good of the world, doing amazing things we know nothing about. But

they are still on our team and doing good, great things. And there are those who claim to be

with us who by their actions show they are not. Love them, too. Care for them, too. Show

them an alternate way. And if they turn on you, turn the other cheek and walk the extra

mile. You are being seasoned for whatever may come. And that is why we can sing… When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed; to turn, turn, will be my delight. Till by turning, turning we come round right. Amen.