Speaking to Power
Psalm 27 and Luke 13:23-35
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 27 read responsively
Pastor Edward Marquart of Seattle writes that:
In a world in which we are so busy dusting plastic flowers that we don’t have the time to smell the roses; in a world in which the glitter and glamour of the neon lights is so bright that we cannot see the stars; in a world in which violence and brutality rules so many hearts rather than the beauty of God; in this kind of world, I need, you need, and the world around us needs the beauty of the Lord living inside of our souls.
The psalm is a song of praise for seeking and living in the beauty of God in spite of all the ugliness that can surround us. In that beauty we become instruments of God’s love.
1The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
3Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Luke 13:23-35
This is the season of Lent, a time for facing uncomfortable questions and hard truths. The first part of our reading is a collection of sayings by Jesus that challenge the criteria expected of the privileged to have access to salvation because they know Jesus, but access to salvation comes to us because Jesus knows us. The human quest for guarantees and competition for position lead instead to exclusion and remorse. These teachings proceed to an encounter with the religious leaders, who express their supposed concern for him, because he challenges the authority of Herod. Listen for a series of contrasting parallels. They want him to go away, Jesus wants them to go back to Herod. Herod wants to kill him, but Jesus can only be killed in Jerusalem. And the finally parallel is between a Jerusalem that kills and God who loves Jerusalem.
23Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27But he will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. 29Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
SERMON
Bishop Wright of Durham Church of England, tells the story of a farm fire. Those cleaning up found a dead hen, scorched and blackened, and live chicks sheltering under her wings. She had quite literally given her life to save them. It is a vivid and violent image of what Jesus declared he longed to do for Jerusalem and, by implication, for all Israel and for us. But in spite of his willingness to sacrifice his life for them and us all he could see was chicks scurrying off in the opposite direction, taking no notice of the smoke and flames indicating the approach of danger, nor of the urgent warnings of the one who alone could give them safety. He laments their loss.
Jesus would do anything to get his message across. He taught as one with authority, there were clear signs of who he was in his healing and love of the lost, and at the end he died confronting the same powers that be that the Pharisees warned him about. Speaking to power can be a dangerous undertaking. In the first passage his is also speaking to the powers that we let rule our lives: greed, envy and hate. The narrow way is the way of love. Jesus demonstrated his love by eating with sinners, and going to their homes, touching their bodies that would be considered unclean, having conversations with women and raising the dead. He just did not follow the rules that dictated who belonged and who did not or who should be first and who should be last. Such behavior called into question the authority of the powerful and challenges the choices we make. What is Jesus saying to you? What uncomfortable questions and hard truths are you confronting this Lenten season? Be real honest with yourself.
Are you in debt?
Are you caring for your health?
What addictions are you dealing with?
What relationship in your life needs attention?
Jesus says come dwell under my wing. Stop looking for answers in all the wrong places. Pray this simple prayer everyday:
Come Lord Jesus into my life. I commit all that I am to your will. Amen.
Now write down where you need Jesus’ will for your life. In the quiet of his presence, what do you honestly need? Feel his wings shelter you from the raging fires of temptations and evil. Safe in his will, may you know true peace, joy and love. Amen.
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ February 28, 2010
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 27 read responsively
Pastor Edward Marquart of Seattle writes that:
In a world in which we are so busy dusting plastic flowers that we don’t have the time to smell the roses; in a world in which the glitter and glamour of the neon lights is so bright that we cannot see the stars; in a world in which violence and brutality rules so many hearts rather than the beauty of God; in this kind of world, I need, you need, and the world around us needs the beauty of the Lord living inside of our souls.
The psalm is a song of praise for seeking and living in the beauty of God in spite of all the ugliness that can surround us. In that beauty we become instruments of God’s love.
1The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
3Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Luke 13:23-35
This is the season of Lent, a time for facing uncomfortable questions and hard truths. The first part of our reading is a collection of sayings by Jesus that challenge the criteria expected of the privileged to have access to salvation because they know Jesus, but access to salvation comes to us because Jesus knows us. The human quest for guarantees and competition for position lead instead to exclusion and remorse. These teachings proceed to an encounter with the religious leaders, who express their supposed concern for him, because he challenges the authority of Herod. Listen for a series of contrasting parallels. They want him to go away, Jesus wants them to go back to Herod. Herod wants to kill him, but Jesus can only be killed in Jerusalem. And the finally parallel is between a Jerusalem that kills and God who loves Jerusalem.
23Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, 24“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27But he will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. 29Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
SERMON
Bishop Wright of Durham Church of England, tells the story of a farm fire. Those cleaning up found a dead hen, scorched and blackened, and live chicks sheltering under her wings. She had quite literally given her life to save them. It is a vivid and violent image of what Jesus declared he longed to do for Jerusalem and, by implication, for all Israel and for us. But in spite of his willingness to sacrifice his life for them and us all he could see was chicks scurrying off in the opposite direction, taking no notice of the smoke and flames indicating the approach of danger, nor of the urgent warnings of the one who alone could give them safety. He laments their loss.
Jesus would do anything to get his message across. He taught as one with authority, there were clear signs of who he was in his healing and love of the lost, and at the end he died confronting the same powers that be that the Pharisees warned him about. Speaking to power can be a dangerous undertaking. In the first passage his is also speaking to the powers that we let rule our lives: greed, envy and hate. The narrow way is the way of love. Jesus demonstrated his love by eating with sinners, and going to their homes, touching their bodies that would be considered unclean, having conversations with women and raising the dead. He just did not follow the rules that dictated who belonged and who did not or who should be first and who should be last. Such behavior called into question the authority of the powerful and challenges the choices we make. What is Jesus saying to you? What uncomfortable questions and hard truths are you confronting this Lenten season? Be real honest with yourself.
Are you in debt?
Are you caring for your health?
What addictions are you dealing with?
What relationship in your life needs attention?
Jesus says come dwell under my wing. Stop looking for answers in all the wrong places. Pray this simple prayer everyday:
Come Lord Jesus into my life. I commit all that I am to your will. Amen.
Now write down where you need Jesus’ will for your life. In the quiet of his presence, what do you honestly need? Feel his wings shelter you from the raging fires of temptations and evil. Safe in his will, may you know true peace, joy and love. Amen.
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