Are you listening?

Gospel
Luke 10:38-42

³⁸Now as [Jesus and his disciples] went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; ⁴²there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

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In the Ditch

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Guests with Good News.

20160703
After Pentecost 7

Psalm 66:1-9
1Be joyful in God, | all you lands;
  
     be joyful, | all the earth.
 
2Sing the glory | of God’s name;
  
     sing the glory | of God’s praise.
 
3Say to God, “How awesome | are your deeds!
  
     Because of your great strength your enemies | cringe before you.
 
4All the earth bows | down before you,
  
     sings to you, sings | out your name.” R
 
5Come now and see the | works of God,
  
     how awesome are God’s deeds | toward all people.
 
6God turned the sea into dry land, so that they went through the wa- | ter on foot,
  
     and there we re- | joiced in God.
 
7Ruling forever in might, God keeps watch o- | ver the nations;
  
     let no rebels ex- | alt themselves.
 
8Bless our | God, you peoples;
  
     let the sound of | praise be heard.
 
9Our God has kept us a- | mong the living
  
     and has not allowed our | feet to slip. R

GOSPEL   Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke…
1After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ ”
  16“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
  17The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you O Christ.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Hey ____ Can I come over to your house later?
I just want to hang out with you.  I don’t have any agenda or any specific thing I think we should talk about or get done.  Just want to see what the Spirit does if we are in each other’s presence.  What do you think?
Ok, great!
_____, how about you?  Can I come over to your house later?
______?  _______?  ______?

I know it is Independence Day weekend, so someone must have a party to invite me to?  I’m not going to offer to bring any food or help with the party.  I’m just going to show up.  You’ll ask me why I am there and I’ll let you know about this great thing that happened to me the other day… I was talking with Christine on the way home from the synod assembly and we were disagreeing about stuff, and I saw God show up there.  Then, I was running in my neighborhood and a man rode by on his bicycle collecting redeemables and I ran to catch up with him with my soda bottle, because God was in his eyes.  And also – I’ll tell you the story of how exhausted I get sometimes, so overwhelmed by the people I encounter who are in chains to opiods or heroine and I just want a way to free them. And God is there too.  Especially in the good news about the Southbridge police department offering a program with Harrington Hospital to anyone who asks for help with addiction. It’s called CARE.
And then, if you were a person who shares in God’s peace with me, you might share your stories of seeing God too.  And I might be able to tell you that I see God working, not just anywhere, but in your life.  And maybe you can do that for me.

That’s it.  That’s all it means to be sent by Jesus.  Telling each other the stories of where God is at work in the world, the places we see God conquer with love. The stories we tell to witness to God’s dream for the world, the dream he has for you and for me. It’s called sharing good news – Evangelism.  Euangelos ‘bringing good news,’ from eu- ‘well’ + angelein ‘announce.  Telling the good stuff.

Evangelical is a word that has been stolen from us Lutherans.  The press names a particular kind of church and Christian “Evangelical” and they often report condemning words that do not sound much like good news to me.

But we are Evangelicals.  We are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America… because we have some good news to share.  /And it isn’t about converting people, that’s the Holy Spirit’s job.  And it isn’t about making people into “good Scandinavian or German Lutherans” and hazing people with some disgusting food. /And it isn’t about deciding who is deserved of being consumed by fire from heaven – you might remember that last week, James and John wanted to call down fire on those who didn’t receive Jesus.  And here Jesus adds instruction to his rebuke of them: shake the dust off and move on.

It’s about conversing, not converting.  It’s about eating their foods and learning their cultural ways.  It’s about being present as a guest.

It’s about sharing your story of seeing God in the world.

You are sent to do that.

This story of 70 people being sent out to all the places Jesus intends to go, reminds us, once again, that God has a mission and God’s mission has a church. God is already doing the work.  We are just invited to join in.  We are sent to be God’s church in the world, where God is already transforming darkness into light.

Sent not to receive visitors, but to be guests.

Sent to rely on others, with not bag, no extra resources, no backup plan.

Sent to eat their food to be connected to them, to be vulnerable.

Sent not to convert people, but to tell your story and God’s story (and where they intersect).

This month I have been working on being present as a guest in Southbridge.  As a pastor from Sturbridge, one might think I am out of place.  And in some ways I am.  But I have been sent by God to see where God is working… and to be a guest.  So I when Steven told me that kids in Southbridge would be without any daily meals for three weeks in August, I talked to my fellow journeymen, the pastors in the Tri-Community area, about it.  Then I talked to the new Superintendent in Southbridge and to the Town Manager, and to the Deputy Chief of Police, and a bunch of other people, and I said… representing the church of Christ in this area, I have some good news.  We have resources.  And we want to help.  We want to be sure that these kids get fed.  And they have welcomed me as a guest.

I have been welcomed as your representative, and other Christians too in this neighborhood, who present ourselves at the doorstep with good news.  Ready to take any invitation that comes our way.  Ready to learn the ways of those who are in need of the good news.  Ready to seek God in the faces of those who host us.

I guess we need some practice.  You have an insert this week in your bulletin to write down where you have seen God recently, during Sacred Shelter time after the sermon.  Get them out right now, if you are ready.  What Good News has God given you to share?  Sharing our God Moments with one another is the best practice we can get for living this Evangelism thing.  Just naming the God who keeps doing great things for us!

This August when we help get those kids fed, I will be looking for God Moments, and I am confident they will show up left and right.  In the meantime, we can prepare by stripping ourselves bare of all our usual reliance.  And presenting ourselves with all God has asked us to do, be present as a guest, ready to share the good news of God’s love – whether it is with a warm smile,  a game played with children, or a belly fed.  We have been issued an invitation, an actual, literal invitation, to enter the Community Center in Southbridge – which may be new territory – to feed the kids.  75% of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Come, feed, play, live, enter as a guest and leave with even more good news to share.
Amen.

Seriously.

20160626

After Pentecost 6

Gospel                                                                                                                 Luke 9:51-62

51When the days drew near for [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55But he turned and rebuked them. 56Then they went on to another village.  57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Some of you already know, that I am often a far too serious person.  I love laughter, I love jokes, but the truth is, sometimes I feel like the mom in the room – all the time.

In fact, in preparation for this sermon, I googled “Too Serious” and the first thing I noticed was that all the meme’s had incorrect grammar.  Don’t take life too seriousLY.  Adjectives becomes adverbs, people!!  Use the “LY”!

And… I’ve made my point.  Now you will all be scared to speak around me, lest I judge your grammar.  Because I take these things seriously.

So while I need all of you to help me lighten up.  (Please, please, please!  Help me!)  I may be the one to help make sense of this Bible Story today that sounds like a bunch of random comments Jesus is making to people. Or worse, a very cranky Jesus. 

Well, Jesus probably did get cranky sometimes, God sure did, but I don’t think that is the point of this story. 

I think the point of this story is Jesus saying: Are you taking me Seriously?

Following Jesus is a path of wondrous promises and amazing new life…and freedom.  Over and over again, freedom from the worst the world can offer.  Because following Jesus, we find a whole community of people who are right here along side us, stretching, growing and sacrificing their own best interest for the interest of the whole, the whole group, the whole of creation.  Living together, comforting one another, holding up one another in faith, in trusting God, and in a way of life that constantly seeks to build a life where everyone is fed, nourished and loved.

So when Jesus encounters these fellows on the road, fellows that want to follow him, to walk in his ways, to learn from him.  One after another, they hear Jesus say, “Are you taking me Seriously?”

One person didn’t seem to understand the sense of sacrifice required on this path.  One person put his family before Jesus, a father who very well may not have yet been dead.  One person wants to hold on to all that is “home.”  I imagine that Jesus, knowing these people more deeply than they could ever imagine, more deeply than they could ever know themselves!  I imagine that Jesus knows them, and challenges each one of them in a unique and specific way to their life circumstance.

So what is Jesus saying to you? 

Jesus is constantly in these conversations with his followers like us.  Where have you heard Jesus inviting you to think carefully about your discipleship, a challenge meant just for you?

Today, we are reminded of the great thing God does for us in baptism.  The gifts of new life, community and salvation that we are given in those waters, and that are renewed each time we gather around this table.  We are known beyond our imagination and loved completely, no matter what.  And as we receive these gifts, we sense the Thank You welling up in us.  

The response to Jesus invitation and love for us.  The thank you that comes out as love for our neighbors. 

And we hear Jesus ask us, Are you taking me seriously? 

I know a few people who are.

Emily.  Here today, she is will stand up in front of this congregation of Jesus-followers and confess her faith.  She will tell us what it means to her and how she responds in love toward her neighbor.  When Emily was working on the faith statement she will share with you today, we had some serious conversation about what it means to be a Child of God, and a Jesus – follower.  Emily will share her faith statement by reflecting on the 10 commandments.  These commandments are foundational to our understanding of the life that God wants us to have, and sent Jesus to give us.   

We talked about how the commandments are not just rules to follow, not just a list of “no’s” but also a list of “yes’s.”  The commandments are a perfect example of the kind of seriousness Jesus was getting at with his followers in our gospel for today.  How does our new life with Jesus reflect this kind of serious transformation?  Now that we have been saved, now that we are made God’s people in baptism, what kind of life will we live?  Not just what kind of rules will we follow, but…as Jesus said when he was asked what is the greatest commandment… what kind of love will we have for God and neighbor?  

How will we love ourselves?  How will we love people who walk in these doors?  How will we love people who are outside these walls?  And outside these trees?  

How will we do our part in God’s baptismal covenant with us: proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?

Baptized children of God, Our goal is to love people!  Like we say in our Vision Statement: To shine the light of God’s love!!

You know, it isn’t just Emily who is taking Jesus seriously, of course.  It’s all of us.  Look right over there.  You have planted a garden to give fresh produce to the food shelf this summer.  And if you haven’t seen them, go check out the town community gardens in Southbridge!  We, God’s people have helped plant those and given them back over to the people who live there, so they can grow their own food, so they can feed themselves.

 

Tell me that isn’t shining the light of God’s love beyond these trees!

And go to The Closet sometime, see the light of God’s love shining in Andrea’s tender interactions with those who are lost and confused.  See the light of God’s love bringing gratitude to people’s hearts to receive clothing at Concordia Lutheran’s breakfast ministry. Come serve meals and maybe even bring a little Vacation Bible Camp fun to the Southbridge Community Center this August, where 75% of children qualify for free or reduced meals, and when there are no meals, there is hunger.

When you leave here today, ready to head back for another week of the craziness and fun of summer, bring Jesus question along with you… Are you taking Jesus Seriously?  How might you best use your whole self, your body, talents, love and resources to shine God’s love out beyond these trees.  You’re already doing it, why not take Jesus up on his invitation?  Who knows what kind of Serious Stuff Jesus might do through you.  You just might end up proclaiming the kingdom of God.

Amen.

Love the Demons to Death

Luke 8:26-39

26Then [Jesus and his disciples] arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”—29for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

  32Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

  34When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

https://alaskabibleteacher.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/gerasene_demon_by_toonfed.jpg

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Please turn to page 28 your blue hymnal.  

[Sung: Kyrie Eleison, Lord have Mercy...]

Ever wondered why we sing that at the beginning of worship? It is a strange, strange thing to do from our 21^st Century American perspective.  To ask God for mercy.  We would rather see God as the benevolent old man, without any real power and that has so little expectation and no judgement, so there is no need for mercy.  And we would rather see ourselves as the good people, who really don’t need mercy.  We choose the good most of the time, right?  

[Sung: Christe Eleison, Christ have Mercy...]

When we sing these words with intention, they make us acutely aware of the shattered world we live in.  The world where we can, and do, kill each other at 50+ rounds per minute.  The 49 lives in Orlando.  The 9 lives in Charleston.  The 26 lives in Newtown.  Kill each other with words that fail to protect one another’s health and life, that encourage or allow anyone to believe it is acceptable to kill another human being who is different enough to be called “them.”  Them who are Gay/LGBTQ, Them who are Latino/Latina or Black, Them who are Muslim, Them who are not Us.

[Sung: Kyrie Eleison, Lord have Mercy...]

The world where our one human family has been torn apart into republicans and democrats, the NRA Lobby and Gun-Control Advocates, Gay and Straight… the divisions are so great it is no longer a matter of opinion or discussion, but has become self-defining.  We do not listen to someone speaking on the other side, we do not want them to change our identity. We make the boundaries between us as impermeable as possible.  We build walls.  

[Sung: Kyrie Eleison, Lord have Mercy...]

So we come back, once again, to worship.   And we hear, once again, about Jesus, who casts out demons from a hurting and violent man.  We hear about Jesus loving the one no one else could even imagine loving, as they tied him up with chains.  We hear about the power of Jesus’ love for the man, giving him back his community, giving him back his sanity, giving him back his humanity… Jesus loved those demons to death. We are faced with a Jesus who trades the people’s fear of the uncontrollable evil with a fear of the uncontrollable love.  We watch them politely, but rapidly, excuse Jesus from their land in fear.  And we wonder: can we live with this Jesus?  Can we live with the uncontrollable love?  It is not about choosing to be a good person.  It is about remembering we are God’s people.  God, the uncontrollable love.  God, who is the uncontrollable creator, the loving father, the one who names and claims us as his own.  We are here together to remember: We are God’s.

[Sung: Christe Eleison, Christ have Mercy...]

We are in this together.  Together we ask for mercy.  Together we pray for God to stop the suffering, to heal us who are possessed with the demons of isolation and scapegoating.  Together we pray for God to mercifully heal us of our divisions that give way to hate.  Together we pray to God for us who are getting killed and us who are doing the killing. We pray, God do your will among us. 

Presiding Bishop Eaton wrote this in her letter this week,

“We are killing ourselves. We believe that all people are created in God's image. All of humanity bears a family resemblance. Those murdered in Orlando were not abstract "others," they are us… We live in an increasingly divided and polarized society. Too often we sort ourselves into like-minded groups and sort others out. It is a short distance from division to demonization.”

[Sung: Kyrie Eleison, Lord have Mercy...]

Do your will among us, God!  It is your will we long for!  It is your will we want to guide our actions and our lives!  It is your gracious and merciful will that we want to shape us.  God do your will among us. 

Make us into instruments of Peace (Prayer of St. Francisis of Assisi). Let our voice be strong and clear for your love in the world.  Let our works of community building make us into the kind of Body you intend.  You weave us together here at this meal, Lord.  Bless us.  But not because we want to be seen as the “Good people.”  Bless us.  Because, as you promised to Abraham, we know that the blessing is not for us to keep.  You have blessed us with mercy and love that we might be a blessing to the world. 

[Sung: Kyrie Eleison, Lord have Mercy...]

The hard truth is that any one of us, fragile human beings, having lived with the demons that he lived with, might have been the one who thought the best next move was to kill.   What is that old saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”?

And because God knows this about us, our God is gracious and merciful.  Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  

Because God knows this about us, he has shown us that he has the power to cast out demons.  And God has given us the opportunity to be in community with those who have been isolated and injured by demons.  We are in this together. May God’s mercy change each and every heart in this country, that we might find a way to love the demons to death.

I borrow this benediction from Bishop James Hazelwood of our New England Synod:

In the name of:

The one who most profoundly embodied that love,

The one who experienced a violent death,

The one who would not let hate be the final word,

The one whose love conquers all,

Jesus the Christ.      

Amen. 

Let Love Change You.

My comments from the #WeAreOrlando Vigil in Southbridge, MA.


I’ve heard a well-intentioned thought circling around the last four days.  People want to communicate that we can’t let this latest shooter take control of us with terror.  They have said: “Just Go On.”  Just keep going, just live your life, don’t stop.  We want to tell ourselves that this massacre can’t stop us from loving and living.  And that’s right. 

We want to tell ourselves that one more horrifying mass shooting won’t paralyze us.  …But I have to confess I’ve been feeling a little paralyzed this week.   

In fact, this paralysis, is a theme I have seen from my LGBTQ friends as well… so many Facebook statuses that start out, “I’ve been silent so far because… I am just trying to process, to grieve, to remember, to mourn, to lament, to wrap my head around the fact that my community’s life has been threatened.”  I would like to suggest that maybe it is good and natural to be paralyzed for a little while after this great loss of human life. 

Being Paralyzed in these moments is human, and we definitely need a little more common humanity.  Stopping gives us space to mourn, to honor, to wrestle with the traumatic assault on the Queer community and on our free way of life.

As we pause to grieve, and then continue to move forward in unrelenting time, we won’t stay paralyzed.  We will move forward, but we won’t forget – we can’t “Just go on” without letting this change us.  Fear will not stop us, but we cannot “just go on” accepting mass killings as our “new normal.”  

Maybe instead of “Just Go On,”  We really mean “Don’t Let Fear Change You.” 

It is no way to live, to let fear force us back into a closet.   To let weapons of words or laws or hatred or bullets determine our worth and value as human beings.  To lead us to believe, like too many in the Queer community have in the past, that giving up our life is the only way to escape the oppression.

We have a deeply rooted freedom here.  Look at the brothers and sisters around you, standing with you.  Declaring by their presence: We are free from fear!  We have brothers and sisters to stand with, we know we are valuable, beautiful creatures – and I’m here to tell you, you are made by God just the way you are!  As a beloved child!

It may surprise you to hear this from a Pastor, especially you LGBTQ folk.  The church has made some big mistakes on this one.  We in the church have not always been clear about this, in fact, we have done the very opposite.  But myself, and all these pastors are here to support the Queer community and to makes sure you hear loud and clear: God loves you, and so do we.

I want to read a bit of scripture to you, from 1 John 4:7-12.

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

The God who is love, loves you, all of you.  Don’t let fear change you.  Let Love Change You.

Love for our brothers and sisters who are LGBTQ

Love for our Latino brothers and Latina sisters

Love for our brothers and sisters who are Muslim

Love for our brothers and sisters who are isolated, who have no hope

Love for our brothers and sisters who are closeted

Love for our brothers and sisters who...

Let this powerful, overcoming, all good-love of God embrace you, strengthen you, reconcile you, Change You.

As the eloquent Lin Manuel-Miranda stated the other night at the Tony Awards.  Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love, cannot be killed or swept aside.

It is love that will change the world.

Amen.

Sermon by Tom Houston, Lay School of Theology Graduate

Bethlehem Lutheran Church-June 12, 2016

Luke 7:36-8:3

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him--that she is a sinner." Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak." "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Extravagance.  The dictionary defines this as ‘a lack of restraint in the use of resources’.  Synonyms are ‘overindulgence’, ‘wastefulness’, ‘luxury’, ‘lavishness’.

In the other gospels the story of the sinful woman washing Jesus’ feet is recounted a bit differently.  In Mark, our protagonist is referred to as simply ‘a woman’. And she pours nard over Jesus’ head, in the manner of anointing someone for burial.  In John’s gospel, it is Mary, the sister of Lazarus who is the central character.  Here she pours the nard on Jesus’ feet, again wiping them with her hair. 

The extravagance of these actions is pointed out by those present; in each incident someone is heard to say that the nard was being wasted, that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor.  Nard, a rather uncommon item today, is actually an essential oil from the spikenard plant which is grown in India and the Himalayas.  In Jesus’ time it was formulated into an aromatic salve or ointment, applied to the dead, to mask the odor of decomposition.  In each of these accounts it was said that the amount used likely cost the equivalent of a year’s wages.  In those days a laborer was paid a denarius for a day’s work, not a princely sum.  According to the most recent census the average yearly income in America today is $53,000.  Undoubtedly, that would be an extravagant amount to be spent on an anointing or fragrant ointment. 

But, not more costly than tears.  What price can be put on the tears of a woman so overcome with guilt and shame, and a desire for forgiveness that she is willing to show up, uninvited to a dinner party, and pour out her tears on a stranger’s feet?  I’m sure it took a great deal of resolve to crash the dinner at the home of a Pharisee, especially when we consider that the woman is referred to as a ‘sinner’.  This euphemistic term would only be used to describe a woman who was, at best, a known adulteress, and at worst, a prostitute.  As is the case in most biblical stories we should assume the latter.  And there are other aspects of the woman’s actions, both subtle and somewhat more explicit, more intimate.  Subtle, in that a woman in Jesus’ time would not expose her hair to strangers.  Not so subtle, in that touching a strange man’s feet was absolutely ‘not done’. 

Thus, this ‘sinful woman’, this assumed prostitute, with uncovered hair, allows her tears to freely fall unashamedly on the feet of this Jesus, this ‘prophet’, dining in the home of Simon, a Pharisee.

And as her tears mingle with, and dissolve the dirt on the sandaled feet of Jesus, she wipes the filth off with her hair.  Remember that in this time the streets were sand and dirt and animals both wild and domestic were not concerned about where they relieved themselves.  And sandals didn’t provide much protection from the waste matter found along the road.  The woman’s use of her flowing tears and her flowing hair to cleanse Jesus’ feet shows the extravagant level to which she was willing to give of herself.  The result of her extravagant actions is Jesus’ even more extravagant forgiveness; ‘your sins are forgiven.  Your faith has saved you; go in peace’, she is told.

As the woman is ministering to Jesus’, he tells Simon the parable of the two debtors.  Based on the math above, 50 denarii in today’s money would be around seven thousand dollars.  Not a small sum, but not really extravagant.  On the other hand, 500 denarii would be worth a little over 72,000 dollars.  When Jesus asks Simon which of the two forgiven debtors would love the creditor more, Simon replies it would be the one who owed the greater amount.  Jesus tells Simon he is correct and makes the point that the greater the debt forgiven, the more the forgiveness is appreciated.  That is, the greater the sin, the more extravagant the unrighteousness, the more the one forgiven loves the one who forgives. 

So it goes, the incontrovertible duality between sin and forgiveness.  Extravagant sin; extravagant forgiveness.  Extravagant forgiveness; extravagant love in response.  Quite a tidy arrangement it would seem.  It would also seem to follow therefore, that in an attempt to turn that profuse love into action, it would be expected that extravagant deeds would result.  And I daresay, they often do.  Tradition has it that Martin Luther was once caught in a terrifying thunderstorm.  Praying for preservation, he promised God that if he were saved from the tempest he would become a monk and devote his life to doing God’s work.

Brought through the storm unscathed, he informed his father that he would no longer pursue a career in the law as his father expected, but he would, out of his extravagant thankfulness join the monastery.  It’s a good thing he did, otherwise we would have to change the name of our church!

The sinful woman received forgiveness and Luther was blessed with deliverance.  In each case they were saved by their faith.  Each responded with extravagant action as a result of their love for the One who granted them salvation and forgiveness.  Did you notice the difference in the manner in which each was granted their extravagant forgiveness and deliverance?  It’s rather subtle, but there is a slight dissimilarity; Jesus forgave the woman’s sins even though she did not ask him to.  Her extravagant actions were enough for Jesus to recognize her need for absolution.  Luther prayed to God and asked to be saved.  Luther was a baptized Christian and he knew he could call on God for deliverance.  We must assume that the woman was not a follower of Christ, yet she also knew that this Jesus, this prophet was the One who was able to grant forgiveness of her sinful behavior. 

A man whose enormous debt was cancelled; Luther, who believed God brought him through a dangerous thunderstorm; and a likely prostitute whose sins were somehow washed away through the cleansing action of her own tears.  Be it unwarranted debt forgiveness, answered prayer, or forgiveness prompted by the washing of soiled feet, these three received extravagant gifts.  But they cannot compare to what we have been given.  We, the baptized, we who have been adopted into God’s family, we have been granted the extravagant gift of forgiveness of all our sins and received the promise of life everlasting.  It now falls to us to respond to the extravagant gift bestowed upon us with, and there’s that word again, extravagant acts.        

The Bethlehem community is engaged in several missions to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and be a place of shelter.  And there are a good number of people who act extravagantly in their participation at the Closet, the gardens; here and in Southbridge, and our youth in their many endeavors to feed, clothe, and shelter others.  But what would it be like if we performed simple, subtle, individual acts that others might perceive as extravagant, depending upon their needs?  What if out of our thankfulness for the gift we’ve received, we just show others the love that Jesus commanded us to express?  Open ears, with a pathway to an equally open heart might be just what someone needs at a particularly vulnerable time.  Encouraging a child in our midst might just be what they need, if perhaps things didn’t go well in school that day.  A five-dollar gift card to a fast food place given to a homeless person might not seem like a lot, but it may turn out to be the only meal that someone eats that day. 

The thing is, what might not seem like more than simple kindness to us, may in fact be perceived as an extravagant gesture by the one receiving the consideration.  Our modest deeds of kindness, our humble acts of compassion, in response to the extravagant gift we have been granted by God in Christ, may in fact, be received as extravagant by the ones they are directed toward.  And the really excellent part?  We may never know the impact our actions have on others.  So, we go forth from this place, filled with hearts grateful for God’s extravagant grace toward us.  We strive to act with love toward our neighbors and serve those around us in simple, unpretentious ways.  And who knows, all along we just might be doing great, extravagant things, without even knowing it.  Extravagance.  The dictionary defines this as ‘a lack of restraint in the use of resources’.  Synonyms are ‘overindulgence’, ‘wastefulness’, ‘luxury’, ‘lavishness’.  God grant us the ability, and the will to be extravagant.

Amen.