God Holds a High Bar: Putting Jesus First

Remember Abbott and Costello’s hilarious baseball dialogue full of misunderstandings:  “Who’s on First?”  Perhaps Jesus could have used a bit of humor to soften the blow of his demanding call to discipleship.  BUT…Jesus has “set his face toward Jerusalem” in Luke 9: 51-62 as he begins his journey with unwavering determination toward death by crucifixion.  Time is running short for Jesus to teach and model for his disciples exactly what lies ahead for them – and for us as we more fully commit ourselves to being Christ followers.  So, the context of Jesus’ often confusing, surely shocking responses to three would-be followers is that they’re in a time of urgent transition and turmoil and transformation.  Would this characterize our time today also?  If yes, then we are called to take Jesus’ responses seriously.  We’ve run out of time for excuses.

Following Jesus is not going to be a picnic.  Instead it’ll be more like traveling to El Salvador and living in the rural homes of sisters and brothers with limited comforts to which we Topekans are accustomed.  Jesus accepts no excuses – whether it be tending to family needs or even taking time to say goodby to family – if the excuses are used to prioritize our desires or needs above our commitment to following Jesus.  Going and proclaiming the kingdom of God as Jesus urges does NOT mean we throw our families out, but that we live our lives within the context and demands of living, speaking, and doing according to Jesus' teachings and modeling.  Nothing must get in the way of our “followership.”  Like any school teacher or parent, Jesus has heard all the excuses and rationalizations and procrastinations and he dismisses them.  We do not set the terms of our discipleship.  Jesus does. 

I’m reminded of the bumper sticker:  “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  The question we are called to examine is:  How are our lives different as Christ followers than what they might have been otherwise?  Following Jesus gives us a new identity as a child of God which means we live in communion with all children of God.  May Jesus’ urgency shape our priorities so that all we do is according to the guidance that the Son of God provides, such that “first things first” is our mantra: faithfulness in following means Jesus is in front of us, beside us, behind us, above us, beyond us, and within us in all we say, think, and do.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Shelley

God Holds a High Bar: Claiming Jesus' Power for Our Communities

 Have you heard of the North American Grip Sport Championships?  Men (and one woman) with freakishly strong hands gather to squeeze, lift and bend various contraptions as they compete to become grip champion of the continent. (WSJ, 6/19/13)  The Gerasene Demoniac as he’s called in Luke 8: 26-39 could become a fierce competitor in such a contest.  Possessed by demons according to the story, this man was bound and shackled by townsfolk who feared for their lives.  This man could break the chains with beyond-this-world strength.

But when Jesus frees this man of his bonds, liberating him back into his community, the folk move from fearing the man to fearing Jesus.  They respond to their fears by running Jesus out of town.  Why would Jesus’ healing power terrorize the community?  In this tragi-comedy story, Jesus as “Demon-Buster” represents the fear of change – the fear of upheaval – the fear of what we do not understand – the fear of the unknown versus the ways we adapt to dysfunction and learn to live with it.   

Moving beyond literal questions about demon possession and beyond Jesus’ power to heal, a primary challenge of this story is how we can move from working hard to maintain stability even in the face of injustice to the challenge of seeing evil and oppression and working as a community to dismantle systems and change institutions  that oppress and chain people.  It is overwhelming and often scary to consider the changes needed in an unjust criminal justice system or inequality in education or the extent of homelessness and poverty and mental health challenges.  We’re squarely in the middle of a time of huge distrust in our institutions (including the church) as exemplified in the current furor over NSA issues of privacy versus security.

How do we respond?  How do we gather together as a community to claim Jesus’ power to confront and liberate people from the chains of injustice and oppression?  I have some ideas which I’ll offer this Sunday in my sermon at Trinity Presbyterian Church (trinitypresbyterian.net).

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Shelley

  

God Holds a High Bar: The Highest Bar is at the Foot of the Cross

What is your image or reflection when we sing in worship:  “We fall down.  We lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus.  The greatness of mercy and love at the feet of Jesus”?  I think of standing at the foot of the cross – especially that massive cross in Trinity’s sanctuary.  Standing at the foot of that cross and looking up is overwhelming:  my smallness and its massive vertical and horizontal beams holding up the highest point of the sanctuary.  It’s just rough enough to remind me of the sacrifice of Jesus being nailed to it.  I am humbled at the abundance of love that God has for all the people of the world that we receive forgiveness, grace, and mercy over and over again.  Mercy unlimited.

The woman in Luke 7: 36-50 brought an exorbitantly expensive perfume to anoint Jesus’ feet and wipe his dusty feet with her hair as Jesus dined at the house of Simon the Pharisee.  She was not welcomed by Simon and his guests who whisper insults about her even as Jesus welcomes her – forgives her – receives her gift of love. 

Where would we sit at this table of hospitality – or more accurately, inhospitality?  Do we join with Simon and the others to exclude, ignore, walk past, deride, and cast out people who we perceive as sinners?  The immigrants, women, African or Asian Americans, Muslims, divorced, adulterers, pregnant and unmarried, addicts, homeless, and those who we consider too young or too old.  Who are the last, lonely, least whom we fear?

Or have you been the outcast – the invisible person – the sinner in need of forgiveness – the one who needs healing – the lost, last, or lonely?  Do you feel welcome at the table, in the sanctuary, or in fellowship? 

The good news of God’s forgiveness and God’s hospitality is that it extends to us all.  We’re all welcome at the foot of the cross.  We’re all invited to shed the chains that bind us and instead celebrate the mercy which binds us together in love.  Who have you invited to join you at the foot of the cross where God’s high bar of forgiveness awaits?

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Shelley

God Holds a High Bar: Pole Vaulting with Jesus

Have you ever seen a pole vault athlete leap with great speed over an incredibly high bar? They get a good running start, plant their pole and trust that it will stay, and then they fly through the air, reaching heights of over 19 feet! It takes a lot of practice, a lot of skill, and a lot of trust in their pole. When all their practice and all their talents come together, a miracle occurs as pole vault athletes can fly!

Read 1 Kings 17:17-24 & Luke 7:11-17.

Here we have two healing and resurrection stories of two widow’s sons, separated by thousands of years but both testify to the divine power of God. Elijah had met the widow at the city gate, similar to where Jesus meets the widow at Nain. Neither widow is given a name; instead they are identified by their relationship (or lack thereof) to a man – a widow. A widow in these cultures was vulnerable, as they could not own property themselves. They were dependent either on their sons or charity to provide for them. They were left on the margins of society, put in the same class as orphans.

And yet Jesus and Elijah see these widows. Jesus is moved with compassion for this widow who had not only lost her husband but also her son – moved with compassion for her lack of security. There is no great declaration of faith, there is no teaching – Jesus is simply moved with compassion for the widow, and with a touch restores not only her son but the widow as well.

Do you believe in miracles? All too often in our lives, we pray for big miracles, for people to be physically, emotionally, mentally restored to life – and we don’t get it. We bargain in our prayers, promising to be the best Christian ever if only God just healed our father/mother/children/spouse/friend. While miraculous events occur, they seem to be too rare for our preference.
But what about the smaller miracles that DO happen? Do we see them? This August, hundreds of kids will get backpacks filled with school supplies and a pancake breakfast. Those kids will really have no idea where the pencils, the glue, the dry erase markers came from. They won’t know about our VBS Mission Project or you tossing a few folders in your grocery cart. It will simply be a miracle to them, a miracle for their family.

For when Christians put our grief-broken hearts together, that is a miracle. And what we can do together with the help of Jesus are miracles. When we as a church take off running as pole vault athletes, aiming for the high bar that God holds, Jesus is our sturdy and reliable pole, the one we can rely on, the one who will help us reach that high bar. Jesus is our Lord who sees us, who knows our brokenness and loves us through it. Jesus is our Lord who empowers us together to reach the high bar that God holds – a high bar of reaching out and seeing widows, the least, the lost, those in need right here in our own city. With Jesus as our sturdy pole, imagine what miraculous height we might reach together, and how we might be transformed in that process – miracle after miracle!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Kate