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Introduction
All of today’s texts, in some way, touch on the notion of trust. Who or what do we most put our trust in? In both of the texts from the Hebrew Bible we see the people trusting in ritual to such an extent that this is where they focus expressions of their faith, which results in them neglecting the poor and oppressed. In the Gospel, Jesus compels his followers not to trust in material goods, which could easily be destroyed, but to trust in God. God will not only provide for their basic necessities, but will also give them the kingdom. The Epistle contrasts what we see in both the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel, through the character of Abraham. All of Abraham’s actions were governed not by his trust in ritual or objects, but by his deep conviction that God was with him. It is this kind of trust, which we are being called to embody in our own lives.
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20:
The reading from Isaiah begins with an introductory verse, which serves to set the historical context of the events. We then jump to verses 10-20 which present for us a dichotomy between what the people do (sacrifice, mark holy days, pray) and what the Lord wants (doing good, standing for justice, helping the poor and oppressed). The people although acting holy, are not holy according to the Lord (they are “red like crimson”). We cannot, however, blame the people for their actions. Their lives were filled with uncertainty, being tied to the land. If the rains didn’t come, supporting a family would be difficult; if the king wanted to go to war, all one’s crops could be taken away. Considering other religions of the area, which relied on ritual in order to guarantee that the gods would be beneficent to believers, the Israelites adherence to ritual in the face of a hard existence makes sense. Still, this counters what the LORD requires, that they “seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Their trust in the ritualized aspect of their faith has overshadowed what their faith is truly about- caring for others.
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
The Psalm for today echoes what we saw in Isaiah, with its tone, vision of God, and judgment themes. Again there is the sense that the people are not holding up to all that is required by their covenantal relationship with the LORD. The people are doing a part of what is expected (the ritualized acts), but there are other things which they are forgetting. Their focus is, again, too heavily placed on ritual and not on “the right way” which God requires.
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
The reading from Hebrews juxtaposes what we see in the Hebrew Bible and in the Gospel. Instead of pointing out how people do not trust in God, the Epistle points to someone who does- Abraham. Abraham’s story, as retold by the author, plays with the theme of trust intermingled with the idea of a promise. When someone makes a promise to us, we have to trust that they will follow through. Abraham, trusting that God would fulfill the promises made, acted in ways that countered what might be considered reasonable. He left behind all that he knew and traveled to a foreign land, without any assurance as to what his future would hold. Both Abraham and Sarah were faithful to the promise of God that they would have offspring, even though he was very old and she was barren. Abraham is held up in this reading, because his actions were governed by his trust in God’s promise.
Luke 12:32-40
Our Gospel reading falls immediately after Jesus has told the disciples not to worry about anything in their lives, including the necessities needed for everyday living- food, clothing, and water. Almost aware that this is going to cause some anxiety for his followers, Jesus adds, “do not worry…” He instructs them to go and care for others, because they are already cared for by the Father and, unlike others who worry because they are unaware of this divine care, the disciples are fully aware of it. When we think of what life was like for the disciples, how uncertain and difficult daily life must have been; we cannot miss how impractical Jesus’ words would have sounded. How can you tell someone not to worry about the basic necessities of life? It is easier to trust in material possessions and savings, than in a God who cannot be seen. Jesus though reminds the disciples that God is trustworthier than any material thing. Our possessions might give us security, but they can be destroyed in an instant, eaten by moths, God however will always be with us.
Toward the Sermon
All of these readings are calling us to embody a model of living where we are completely trustful of God. Where we do not worry about doing the ritual ‘right’ because we know that no matter what, God is with us. It is a model where we feel comfortable losing everything we have, because we know that no matter how hard it gets God is with us. It is a difficult and challenging way of life to embody. Maybe it is due to our material culture, or to the impact of advertising on our psyches, but it is easier for us to trust in those things we can see than in what we cannot. It is easier for us to allow ‘ritual’ and material objects to provide us with security than for us to allow God to fill this role. When I approached this sermon, I thought about what it would be like if I lost everything and I realized that although it would be hard, my life would still go on. What we need in order to overcome challenges does not rest in an abundance of goods or in our full bank accounts, rather it rests in the fact that God is constantly with us through all of life’s ups and downs.
Maryann Armor
Vancouver School of Theology
Vancouver, BC CANADA
Introduction
All of today’s texts, in some way, touch on the notion of trust. Who or what do we most put our trust in? In both of the texts from the Hebrew Bible we see the people trusting in ritual to such an extent that this is where they focus expressions of their faith, which results in them neglecting the poor and oppressed. In the Gospel, Jesus compels his followers not to trust in material goods, which could easily be destroyed, but to trust in God. God will not only provide for their basic necessities, but will also give them the kingdom. The Epistle contrasts what we see in both the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel, through the character of Abraham. All of Abraham’s actions were governed not by his trust in ritual or objects, but by his deep conviction that God was with him. It is this kind of trust, which we are being called to embody in our own lives.
Jeremiah 23:23-29 (or Isaiah 5:1-7)
Both these readings embody the theme of prophetic criticism. Jeremiah and Isaiah of Jerusalem are working to catalyze the transformation of the current consciousness and reorient the people of God to right relationship with YHWH.
Jeremiah is prophesying against the false prophets of hope who tell the people what they want to hear rather than the true word of God. Perhaps there is a parallel with the prosperity Gospel of our time, the seductive message that proclaims that God approves of our consumptive, unsustainable lifestyles. But God’s true word is “like fire…and like a hammer” and proclaims the destruction of an old order that must die in order for new life to emerge. Instead of anger Jeremiah can be seen to be embodying the anguish of a grief that penetrates the numbness of the status quo and enables the shift of consciousness that must come. What numbness must we penetrate and grieve and let die? What new life is waiting to emerge?
Isaiah uses this poetic form to express a similar forecast of the death that must happen so that true life can emerge. Its clever invitation for the inhabitants of Jerusalem to judge the vineyard is reminiscent of Nathan’s ruse to trap King David (2 Samuel 12:1-12). The consciousness of the status quo is a consciousness of indifference and numbness to the pain of the oppressed (v.7). This oracle of judgment seeks to mobilize an alternative consciousness of compassion and justice that will appear to be death to those invested in the unjust state of affairs. What unjust status quo are we invested in? How does this consciousness shift?
Psalm 82 (or 80:1-2, 8-18)
Psalm 82 is a plea for justice and dramatizes YHWH’s advocacy for the poor and oppressed among the God’s of the nations. The psalmist underscores the prophetic indictment that declares to the status quo that the right order of the universe demands justice. YHWH is firmly on the side of the disenfranchised.
Psalm 80 is a prayer for the restoration of Israel and reminds YHWH of the Exodus and the promise implicit in this divine action. It is a plea by those who find themselves in painful anticipation of YHWH’s freedom to re-establish Israel as he first established it with the Exodus. Similar vineyard imagery to the Isaiah passage is used and verse 17 contains a possible messianic foreshadowing. Could this be a psalm that proceeds naturally from Isaiah’s prophecy coming true? Is the consciousness that voices the plea from those who enjoyed the status quo or those whose deliverance is at hand but are struggling to see it?
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
This passage from Hebrew’s is part of a lengthy commentary on faith, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (11:1). The list of ancestors of faith is directed to inspire the hearer to weather the storms and trials that the faithful face in the world of principalities and powers. We are exhorted not to be tempted by the numbness of the status quo but to keep our eyes on the transforming power and hope for new life that we know in Jesus Christ. The community who hears this letter is one that is beset by persecution and injustice and is in danger of growing weary and losing heart (12:3). But the God of the Exodus, the one that makes all things new, has in Jesus Christ triumphed even through the cross. It is a message of profound hope even in a situation where all appearances are to the contrary. What message of hope and perseverance do we need to hear today?
Luke 12:49-56
This is potentially one of the most difficult passages in the Gospels and has, throughout history, been used to justify violence and discrimination and exclusion in the name of Jesus. The NRSV translators have skewed the interpretation by the introduction of exclamation points, suggesting a frustrated, exclamatory, even threatening, Jesus. Reading it without this imposition allows different possibilities to emerge. Verse 53 is an allusion to a lament in Micah 7:6. Here we have a clue that Jesus is not threatening but lamenting. Though the fire of verse 49 is usually understood to be a fire of destruction we must not forget that Luke later uses the fire as precisely the sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence (Acts 2:3). Jesus knows, in his prophetic capacity, that he represents, indeed fulfills, the same challenge to the status quo as the prophets before him. The shift from numb injustice to passionate justice and peace always seems like death to the powerful. This is as true within each individual as it is of a society and could be preached as an insight into our own spiritual transformation - our egoic attachments and programs for control and esteem resist the work of the Spirit within us.
Jesus’ lament grieves the hardship that he represents for all involved. Both those who suffer chaos and the powerful who cannot see past their own violence to true peace (cf. Luke 23:34). Simultaneously, we see his own, very human stress, on the way to Jerusalem; where Jesus knows his own sacrifice at the hands of the agents of chaos will occur but an unquenchable fire will be kindled.
Toward the Sermon
This proper provides the chance to preach a very difficult Gospel passage in a compelling and illuminating fashion. The OT readings provide the background for the prophetic genre that too often comes across as anger instead of the lament necessary to usher in a new consciousness. What is at stake here is the paschal pattern that is at the heart of the Gospel and the liturgy: life comes from death, resurrection from crucifixion. Death does not have the final word but it must be grieved and lamented for its denial is the principle weapon of the imperial status quo. Indeed, grief is the wedge that cracks open the consciousness of numb oppression to be transfigured by the Spirit of compassion and peace. Hebrews rightly points that this process is one of faith, for the principalities and powers often seem to have the upper hand in the world of the concrete. But in the world of the Spirit, which we enter in the liturgy, we proclaim together the mystery of a victory we cannot always see with our eyes but that we know with our hearts and pledge our lives to its service.
What does the community need to lament so that new life can be birthed? Where are we numb and self-satisfied? Where do we need to hear the prophetic criticism and invitation to new consciousness? Where is the spirit kindled in our midst? How can we sustain our faith in the Life That Never Goes Away that sometimes seems so hard to see?
Ernest Morrow
Church Divinity School of the Pacific
Diocese of British Columbia
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