Homily Advent 1, Year B, Nov. 27, 2011
This morning we are here to think about hope. The hope and expectation we feel during the season of Advent each year as we await the time we celebrate the birth of the Saviour, God with us, Emmanuel.
Today’s readings may seem to have a darker tone than one might expect for a message of hope. They certainly leave themselves open to misinterpretation.
Jesus says: “In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the power in the heavens will be shaken.” All this precedes the Son of Man coming with great power and glory.
Needless to say this vivid picture of the end times has created fear among some listeners and hearers throughout the ages.
And many times throughout human history at times when things have looked their worst, people have feared that the end times Jesus talked about were happening.
Our time may be such a time. Although there are no large scale wars right now, peace is fragile, and many nations are struggling with violence and internal conflict.
Environmental degradation, climate change, economic uncertainty, unemployment, hunger, and homelessness are issues which face not only third world countries but the affluent west.
The age of scientific progress and prosperity we thought we were moving towards in the 1950’s, has been replaced by a situation where many young people wonder what the future holds for them.
This malaise holds true for the church as well. Where in the 50’s we were building new churches and our pews were packed, we are now struggling—at least in the mainstream denominations—just to survive and refocus our mission and ministry.
So we like the writer of Isaiah in exile could: “O that thou wouldest rend the heavens and come down.”
Yet Jesus teaches us we will not know the time for the end days, the second coming of the Son of Man, the term he uses to describe himself as the Messiah foretold in Hebrew Scripture.
We have to live in hope, remembering as the early Jewish Christians did, that when the Temple of Jerusalem was demolished by the Romans, it would create an opportunity to focus on God’s intervention in the world, by sending his son Jesus to come among us, to be crucified and to rise again in glory.
As well as having hope, the season of advent is one of watchfulness.
One of the dangers we face is the opposite of watchfulness—sleep walking through life, drifting without purpose.
Instead of sleepwalking our Christian faith calls us to watch and pray, so we won’t fall into sin, to watch, so we are always open to renewal and growth in our own spiritual journeys, and also to watch for opportunities to serve God by serving our fellow human beings.
That’s why during the Advent season as we prepare for Christmas it is a chance to reflect on our many blessings, and think about opportunities to help those less fortunate.
We need to avoid getting caught up in the consumerism which marks the season—from Black Friday last week to frantic last minute shopping Christmas Eve.
Rather than the self-gratification of acquiring more material goods, Advent is marked by the words, come…as in Come Lord Jesus, wait….as in beware, keep alert for you do not know when the time will come…and remember…remember to have patience and humility.
God is faithful. That is the message from the earliest Hebrew Scripture to the Book of Revelation.
We can trust in God, who brought His divine love into the world in human form in a baby born in a manger in a humble stable in Bethlehem in a poor and unremarkable part of God’s creation.
So let us wait, let us watch and let us prepare, during this season of Advent. Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
Sunday 27 November 2011
Sunday 20 November 2011
Finding our Mission in the 21st Century
Prodigal God Series #6, Reign of Christ Sunday
If you watch television news, read a newspaper, listen to radio, or scan the internet, you’ll find signs of a world in chaos. While science and technology have brought great wealth to a few, many of have been left out of the prosperity of the 21st century.
Today we celebrate Reign of Christ Sunday. As followers of Christ we have not only that he came to the world as God’s incarnate son, that he died for us, and the he rose again on the third day, and lives forever, proclaiming the Gospel to the world.
The Gospel of Christ is the gospel of the Prodigal God, a God who is extravagantly generous to us, whether we deserve it or not. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, God offers us the Feast of the Father, a feast that all are invited to, regardless of nation, race or background.
As Matthew’s gospel tells us, when the son of man comes in glory, those who inherit the kingdom, the sheep… will be those who gave food to the hungry, welcome to the stranger, clothing to unclothed, care to the sick, and made the effort to visit those in prison.
In doing this “to the least of these” we do it to Jesus, the Christ.
But the goats, who are condemned to separation from God, are those who refused to feed, care for, welcome or visit “the least of these.”
This is tough stuff.
It means as Christians we are called to a faith that is far more than just following the law, doing what is right morally speaking, and professing our faith by attending worship.
It means we are called to mission and ministry, to follow the teaching of Christ
.
That’s where today’s celebration of the Reign of Christ links up with the Prodigal God series.
The purpose of looking in depth at this parable, and other related scripture passages is so we see see the link between our future as the church of Christ in this Diocese, and an outward focus on mission.
It’s one of the hardest things to come to grips with. Yet the teaching is there in scripture and it has been true throughout the history of the church.
The church is at its most faithful when it reaches out to the community. Historically Anglicans have played a major role in education, health, social welfare, and the life of the community.
However during the past half century that role has eroded as society has changed. As I’ve said before, it isn’t our fault, but the whole mission field has changed fundamentally. There are more churches than ever in Sarnia, and most of the traditional churches are shrinking while the more fundamentalist churches, with contemporary music and very little if any liturgy, are doing best with the minority of younger people who are active Christians.
That doesn’t mean Anglicans, or others who follow a more traditional pattern of liturgy, and a less literal approach to scripture, are going to disappear from the scene.
The reason we’ve followed this Diocesan wide study is to get us thinking beyond survival, and what our mission as Anglicans in southwestern Ontario is during the next decade.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the one who never ceases to seek our salvation, and draw us to himself.
Jesus does this not so that we escape the world, but so that we are sent out as his disciples, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to share the good news, to feed, clothe and befriend those in need.
That is the essence of the reign of Christ, living out Christ’s teaching, celebrating our fellowship by sharing his body and blood, reconciling ourselves to one another in all our weakness, and sin.
If we look at the elder brother in the parable, we can see that if he had responded to his younger brother’s return by rejoicing, rather than groaning, cheering rather than jeering, that he would be following Jesus, the true elder brother who calls us to join the feast of the father.
A personal faith or relationship with God isn’t enough. It is by joining in the Feast of the Father, joining in community, caring for others, that we find our purpose in life.
It is in community that we can carry out our mission as followers of Christ. If we look back at our 85 years of parish history, we began as a mission to the children of north Sarnia, who needed a Sunday school.
That mission turned into a parish church, which became a hub of the community right into the 50’s and 60’s.
How do we meet the challenge of doing mission in a very different context?
That is something we have to address as individuals, as parishes, as deaneries, as Dioceses and as a national Anglican Church, part of a worldwide communion.
It isn’t a time for blame—-looking for who is responsible, or what did we do wrong.
It is a time when we need to pray for the wisdom and courage to discern what we might do as followers of Christ to carry on this mission—preach the good news, to care for each other, to care for those in need, to seek peace and justice.
We aren’t hear just to survive, as the older brother did in the parable of the prodigal son. We are here to join in the feast of the Father.
The next few months will be a time of discernment for us as a parish. We will look at new models of ministry, including shared priestly ministry, or collaboration with other parishes in Sarnia.
No solutions will be imposed on the parish, however the financial realities of parish life in the 21st century, with diminished offerings from fewer people, and the cost of maintaining buildings and staff mean the decisions have to be made to live within our means.
This is not an easy process. I’ve been through it before both as a lay person, and as a priest.
So let us conclude with a prayer for the parish from the prayer book.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who dost
govern all things in heaven and earth:
Mercifully hear our prayers, and grant to this
Parish all things needful for its spiritual welfare
Strengthen and confirm the faithful;
protect and guide the children; visit and relieve
the sick; turn and soften the wicked; arouse the
careless; recover the fallen; restore the penitent.
Remove all hindrances to the advancement of
thy truth; and bring us all to be of one heart and
mind within the fold of thy holy Church, to the
honour and glory of thy blessed Name; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
If you watch television news, read a newspaper, listen to radio, or scan the internet, you’ll find signs of a world in chaos. While science and technology have brought great wealth to a few, many of have been left out of the prosperity of the 21st century.
Today we celebrate Reign of Christ Sunday. As followers of Christ we have not only that he came to the world as God’s incarnate son, that he died for us, and the he rose again on the third day, and lives forever, proclaiming the Gospel to the world.
The Gospel of Christ is the gospel of the Prodigal God, a God who is extravagantly generous to us, whether we deserve it or not. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, God offers us the Feast of the Father, a feast that all are invited to, regardless of nation, race or background.
As Matthew’s gospel tells us, when the son of man comes in glory, those who inherit the kingdom, the sheep… will be those who gave food to the hungry, welcome to the stranger, clothing to unclothed, care to the sick, and made the effort to visit those in prison.
In doing this “to the least of these” we do it to Jesus, the Christ.
But the goats, who are condemned to separation from God, are those who refused to feed, care for, welcome or visit “the least of these.”
This is tough stuff.
It means as Christians we are called to a faith that is far more than just following the law, doing what is right morally speaking, and professing our faith by attending worship.
It means we are called to mission and ministry, to follow the teaching of Christ
.
That’s where today’s celebration of the Reign of Christ links up with the Prodigal God series.
The purpose of looking in depth at this parable, and other related scripture passages is so we see see the link between our future as the church of Christ in this Diocese, and an outward focus on mission.
It’s one of the hardest things to come to grips with. Yet the teaching is there in scripture and it has been true throughout the history of the church.
The church is at its most faithful when it reaches out to the community. Historically Anglicans have played a major role in education, health, social welfare, and the life of the community.
However during the past half century that role has eroded as society has changed. As I’ve said before, it isn’t our fault, but the whole mission field has changed fundamentally. There are more churches than ever in Sarnia, and most of the traditional churches are shrinking while the more fundamentalist churches, with contemporary music and very little if any liturgy, are doing best with the minority of younger people who are active Christians.
That doesn’t mean Anglicans, or others who follow a more traditional pattern of liturgy, and a less literal approach to scripture, are going to disappear from the scene.
The reason we’ve followed this Diocesan wide study is to get us thinking beyond survival, and what our mission as Anglicans in southwestern Ontario is during the next decade.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the one who never ceases to seek our salvation, and draw us to himself.
Jesus does this not so that we escape the world, but so that we are sent out as his disciples, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to share the good news, to feed, clothe and befriend those in need.
That is the essence of the reign of Christ, living out Christ’s teaching, celebrating our fellowship by sharing his body and blood, reconciling ourselves to one another in all our weakness, and sin.
If we look at the elder brother in the parable, we can see that if he had responded to his younger brother’s return by rejoicing, rather than groaning, cheering rather than jeering, that he would be following Jesus, the true elder brother who calls us to join the feast of the father.
A personal faith or relationship with God isn’t enough. It is by joining in the Feast of the Father, joining in community, caring for others, that we find our purpose in life.
It is in community that we can carry out our mission as followers of Christ. If we look back at our 85 years of parish history, we began as a mission to the children of north Sarnia, who needed a Sunday school.
That mission turned into a parish church, which became a hub of the community right into the 50’s and 60’s.
How do we meet the challenge of doing mission in a very different context?
That is something we have to address as individuals, as parishes, as deaneries, as Dioceses and as a national Anglican Church, part of a worldwide communion.
It isn’t a time for blame—-looking for who is responsible, or what did we do wrong.
It is a time when we need to pray for the wisdom and courage to discern what we might do as followers of Christ to carry on this mission—preach the good news, to care for each other, to care for those in need, to seek peace and justice.
We aren’t hear just to survive, as the older brother did in the parable of the prodigal son. We are here to join in the feast of the Father.
The next few months will be a time of discernment for us as a parish. We will look at new models of ministry, including shared priestly ministry, or collaboration with other parishes in Sarnia.
No solutions will be imposed on the parish, however the financial realities of parish life in the 21st century, with diminished offerings from fewer people, and the cost of maintaining buildings and staff mean the decisions have to be made to live within our means.
This is not an easy process. I’ve been through it before both as a lay person, and as a priest.
So let us conclude with a prayer for the parish from the prayer book.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who dost
govern all things in heaven and earth:
Mercifully hear our prayers, and grant to this
Parish all things needful for its spiritual welfare
Strengthen and confirm the faithful;
protect and guide the children; visit and relieve
the sick; turn and soften the wicked; arouse the
careless; recover the fallen; restore the penitent.
Remove all hindrances to the advancement of
thy truth; and bring us all to be of one heart and
mind within the fold of thy holy Church, to the
honour and glory of thy blessed Name; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Monday 14 November 2011
The True Elder Brother
Preached at St. John the Baptist, Walpole Island, Ontario, and St. Stephen's, Courtright, Ontario on November 13 as part of a pulpit exchange with Rev'd Paul Woolley
Like you, in Sarnia at Canon Davis, we’ve been following this alternative lectionary, which began with the Parable of the Prodigal Son and has continued to explore related themes.
The purpose of the Purpose of the Prodigal God study is to shift the focus of our Diocese and its parishes to a more outward looking mission and ministry.
Now you may wonder what that has to do with the parable of the prodigal son. The reason the parable was chosen is that neither the younger brother or the older brother has followed the right path, but both have been cared for, forgiven and treated with generosity and respect by the father in the parable---who we identify with God in this many layered parable.
In the parable the elder brother refuses to go into the feast to welcome his younger brother back. He refuses even though his father comes out to ask him to come in.
Many of us can probably sympathize with the older brother. We’ve done the best we can. We’ve followed the rules. We’ve honoured our family obligations.
Yet we see younger brothers welcomed back after making a mess of things, whether they deserve it or not—at least in our view.
That is exactly what our Gospel reading today is about. Jesus is not telling us that we have to hate our families. He’s teaching us that we have to first love God, our creator and redeemer, and then love for our fellow human beings will follow.
To be followers of Christ we have to do more than the elder brother did. We have to forgive others, as we have been forgiven, but we also have to go the extra mile.
For the elder brother that would have meant not being content with having the younger brother go and squander the family inheritance, but actually taking the initiative, like the shepherd with the lost sheep, and going out to find his brother and bring him home.
This outward focus is what built our churches. We set up Christian communities, built buildings and developed mission which included word, sacrament, education for people of all ages, and outreach—care for those less fortunate.
The problem is that in many congregations we are just trying to survive, keep the doors open, serve our own members, and our focus, as a result, has turned inward. We have lost that mission impulse which brought about our existence.
It isn’t too late to change. We still have many dedicated parishioners. We have the richness of our Anglican tradition, our worship, our music.
And above all we have our true elder brother, Jesus, who
gave his life for us.
This Remembrance day weekend we are
conscious of the sacrifices made for all of us by a whole generation
during the second world war, and of the sacrifices made during
wars before that, and since.
That willingness to sacrifice, at great cost, even the cost of
life itself, is what Jesus shows us by example.
We all won’t be called to sacrifice our lives. But we are
called to be followers of Christ as a cost---the cost being putting
others ahead of ourselves, doing what is right, rather than
worshipping the God of money.
Jesus teaches us that everything he has to give is ours—
blessing, foregiveness, love, community, peace, joy and ultimately
salvation.
To follow Jesus, however, means being willing to look
outward; to meet the needs of those who are marginalized as Jesus
did.
It is in serving others that we serve God. Our ongoing task
as followers of Christ is figuring out how to do that, as individuals
and as communities of faith.
There are no easy answers. Where we are is not an easy
place to be in. We need to remember that our Christian faith is not
a destination, but a journey. And we don’t know where it will take
us in the coming years.
But we can’t do it alone. We are part of the larger body of
Christ and we believe in a loving God, who cares for us so much
he sent his son to come among us in human form, and blesses us
with the enlivening breath of the Holy Spirit.
Like you, in Sarnia at Canon Davis, we’ve been following this alternative lectionary, which began with the Parable of the Prodigal Son and has continued to explore related themes.
The purpose of the Purpose of the Prodigal God study is to shift the focus of our Diocese and its parishes to a more outward looking mission and ministry.
Now you may wonder what that has to do with the parable of the prodigal son. The reason the parable was chosen is that neither the younger brother or the older brother has followed the right path, but both have been cared for, forgiven and treated with generosity and respect by the father in the parable---who we identify with God in this many layered parable.
In the parable the elder brother refuses to go into the feast to welcome his younger brother back. He refuses even though his father comes out to ask him to come in.
Many of us can probably sympathize with the older brother. We’ve done the best we can. We’ve followed the rules. We’ve honoured our family obligations.
Yet we see younger brothers welcomed back after making a mess of things, whether they deserve it or not—at least in our view.
That is exactly what our Gospel reading today is about. Jesus is not telling us that we have to hate our families. He’s teaching us that we have to first love God, our creator and redeemer, and then love for our fellow human beings will follow.
To be followers of Christ we have to do more than the elder brother did. We have to forgive others, as we have been forgiven, but we also have to go the extra mile.
For the elder brother that would have meant not being content with having the younger brother go and squander the family inheritance, but actually taking the initiative, like the shepherd with the lost sheep, and going out to find his brother and bring him home.
This outward focus is what built our churches. We set up Christian communities, built buildings and developed mission which included word, sacrament, education for people of all ages, and outreach—care for those less fortunate.
The problem is that in many congregations we are just trying to survive, keep the doors open, serve our own members, and our focus, as a result, has turned inward. We have lost that mission impulse which brought about our existence.
It isn’t too late to change. We still have many dedicated parishioners. We have the richness of our Anglican tradition, our worship, our music.
And above all we have our true elder brother, Jesus, who
gave his life for us.
This Remembrance day weekend we are
conscious of the sacrifices made for all of us by a whole generation
during the second world war, and of the sacrifices made during
wars before that, and since.
That willingness to sacrifice, at great cost, even the cost of
life itself, is what Jesus shows us by example.
We all won’t be called to sacrifice our lives. But we are
called to be followers of Christ as a cost---the cost being putting
others ahead of ourselves, doing what is right, rather than
worshipping the God of money.
Jesus teaches us that everything he has to give is ours—
blessing, foregiveness, love, community, peace, joy and ultimately
salvation.
To follow Jesus, however, means being willing to look
outward; to meet the needs of those who are marginalized as Jesus
did.
It is in serving others that we serve God. Our ongoing task
as followers of Christ is figuring out how to do that, as individuals
and as communities of faith.
There are no easy answers. Where we are is not an easy
place to be in. We need to remember that our Christian faith is not
a destination, but a journey. And we don’t know where it will take
us in the coming years.
But we can’t do it alone. We are part of the larger body of
Christ and we believe in a loving God, who cares for us so much
he sent his son to come among us in human form, and blesses us
with the enlivening breath of the Holy Spirit.
Monday 7 November 2011
What about the elder brother?
Homily Remembrance Sunday Prodigal God Series #4
When I was first thinking about The Prodigal God series of sermons, all revolving around the parable of the Prodigal Son and related readings, I wondered how it would work with special Sundays, like last Sunday, All Saints, and this Sunday, Remembrance Sunday.
I needn’t have worried because the challenges raised by the parable are so universal, that they address many aspects of our lives as Christians.
Take our Remembrance Sunday this morning. As I talked to John Summerfield this week, he recalled an incident difficult for him to even speak about until only a few years ago.
A comrade, who he bunked with, and worked on bomber crew with got hit with shrapnel during a bombing run, and died in John’s arms as he tried to revive him.
John went on to many more successful bombing runs. However it is that loss of a comrade that haunts him, and brings tears to his eyes still.
War is unspeakably horrible, because of the loss of life, the loss of comrades.
War is above all, if it is a just war like World War 2, a sacrifice for one’s fellow countrymen, for freedom.
War is about sacrifice; the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others.
Sacrifice is the link with both today’s Gospel passage from Luke about the rich ruler and his encounter with Jesus about what is required of him for salvation, and the parable of the Prodigal Son.
Luke’s account is challenging for us, even today. The ruler asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asks him if he has followed the Hebrew law, the Torah. He answers he has done that since he was a boy.
Then Jesus asks him to sell all that he owns and give it to the poor, then come and follow Jesus.
Needless to say the ruler was sad, since he was certainly not prepared to give up his possessions, as the disciples had when they left everything behind to follow Jesus.
This passage, if interpreted literally would certainly cause difficulties for all of us who are living well in an affluent society.
Jesus goes on to say it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
We have to remember Jesus was using hyperbole, or exaggeration to make his point. That method of teaching was certainly part of his Jewish heritage.
What he really wanted to underline is that our wealth can not be allowed to become God, replacing God our Father, our creator, as the God we worship.
As we look around our world today we see the fruits of making wealth a God. Many people have never had it so good, accumulating unimagined wealth, and living extravagantly while countless others are starving and homeless.
If we follow Christ we have to not only see this as wrong, but see the link between the two.
The greedy CEO’s and investment bankers who created the mess which led to the economic crisis of 2008 that still lingers today are worshipping the God of wealth. Anything goes, including profits made purely on speculation, not creating goods and services people use.
What we need is the same spirit of sacrifice that we saw in the two world wars. The spirit of sacrifice, although we paid a price in terms of loss of life, led to the peace and prosperity that followed World War 2.
What would a spirit of sacrifice look like in 2011. For a start, maybe all the CEOs could reduce their compensation packages to less than a million dollars. We could change the taxation system so the burden could fall on those who can afford to pay, rather than the stretched and shrinking middle class.
We could ask for sacrifice for the good of many. But that would run counter to the current prevailing attitude that says greed is good, and if one can accumulate extravagant wealth at the expense of other’s that is just survival of the fittest, free enterprise.
In Dicken’s Christmas Carol, Scrooge is asked to give to the poor and asks the unfortunate canvassers: “are there not prisons, are there not workhouses?” Perhaps what is needed is to “decrease the surplus population” by allowing the poor to starve.
In a sense Scrooge is just like the Ruler who confronts Jesus. He may have followed all the rules of society. But when asked to sacrifice for others, he has no heart for it. He wants to hoard his riches, and not share it with his employee, Bob Cratchett and his crippled son, Tiny Tim.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father generously receives the younger son back after the younger son his literally squandered his part of the family inheritance, which he had the audacity to ask for before his father’s death.
That younger son broke all the rules, disappointed his father, and wasted his opportunity.
We don’t aften spend too much time looking at the lder brother in the parable. He’s only there at the end, bitter over his brother’s return, and jealous that the father killed the fatted calf and held a party to celebrate.
The elder brother, like the ruler who asked Jesus about salvation, didn’t do anything wrong.
He followed all the rules. He worked hard for his father. But he hadn’t learned from his father to have a spirit of generosity, of love, of sacrifice, of putting relationship above wealth.
Instead he was focused on himself, and what he deserved for his hard work.
What did the elder brother show in his reaction to his brother’s return:
*deep anger over what he perceived was unfair treatment.
*a sense of persecution—he had slaved for his father all these years, but a fatted calf had never been slain for him.
*no love or care about his younger brother. No rejoicing that he had come to himself.
*a sense of entitlement. Since I have been faithful to my father all these years, don’t I deserve better than for him to celebrate my younger brother’s return. What about me?
*a lack of foregiveness, and a judgmental attitude.
As we look at the elder brother for the purposes of this series, we have to consider that there are aspects of the elder brother, and the younger brother in all of us, and we need to be conscious of this as we move forward in our lives as followers of Christ.
Both brothers fell short. But at least the younger brother recognized his spiritual failings.
Perhaps the danger of the older brother’s attitude is that it allows for a kind of moralistic spirituality which treats faith as primarily a matter of following the law, and doing what is expected.
However obedience to the law is only part of the path to salvation.
The other part is loving God, and loving our neighbour, and developing the spirit of sacrifice which can lead to peace, joy, love and community.
Being self-righteous, like the elder brother, leads to a spiritual malaise.
Instead we are called to humility, to forgiveness, to always looking for the grace of God,rather than seeking salvation through our own merit.
When I was first thinking about The Prodigal God series of sermons, all revolving around the parable of the Prodigal Son and related readings, I wondered how it would work with special Sundays, like last Sunday, All Saints, and this Sunday, Remembrance Sunday.
I needn’t have worried because the challenges raised by the parable are so universal, that they address many aspects of our lives as Christians.
Take our Remembrance Sunday this morning. As I talked to John Summerfield this week, he recalled an incident difficult for him to even speak about until only a few years ago.
A comrade, who he bunked with, and worked on bomber crew with got hit with shrapnel during a bombing run, and died in John’s arms as he tried to revive him.
John went on to many more successful bombing runs. However it is that loss of a comrade that haunts him, and brings tears to his eyes still.
War is unspeakably horrible, because of the loss of life, the loss of comrades.
War is above all, if it is a just war like World War 2, a sacrifice for one’s fellow countrymen, for freedom.
War is about sacrifice; the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of others.
Sacrifice is the link with both today’s Gospel passage from Luke about the rich ruler and his encounter with Jesus about what is required of him for salvation, and the parable of the Prodigal Son.
Luke’s account is challenging for us, even today. The ruler asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asks him if he has followed the Hebrew law, the Torah. He answers he has done that since he was a boy.
Then Jesus asks him to sell all that he owns and give it to the poor, then come and follow Jesus.
Needless to say the ruler was sad, since he was certainly not prepared to give up his possessions, as the disciples had when they left everything behind to follow Jesus.
This passage, if interpreted literally would certainly cause difficulties for all of us who are living well in an affluent society.
Jesus goes on to say it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
We have to remember Jesus was using hyperbole, or exaggeration to make his point. That method of teaching was certainly part of his Jewish heritage.
What he really wanted to underline is that our wealth can not be allowed to become God, replacing God our Father, our creator, as the God we worship.
As we look around our world today we see the fruits of making wealth a God. Many people have never had it so good, accumulating unimagined wealth, and living extravagantly while countless others are starving and homeless.
If we follow Christ we have to not only see this as wrong, but see the link between the two.
The greedy CEO’s and investment bankers who created the mess which led to the economic crisis of 2008 that still lingers today are worshipping the God of wealth. Anything goes, including profits made purely on speculation, not creating goods and services people use.
What we need is the same spirit of sacrifice that we saw in the two world wars. The spirit of sacrifice, although we paid a price in terms of loss of life, led to the peace and prosperity that followed World War 2.
What would a spirit of sacrifice look like in 2011. For a start, maybe all the CEOs could reduce their compensation packages to less than a million dollars. We could change the taxation system so the burden could fall on those who can afford to pay, rather than the stretched and shrinking middle class.
We could ask for sacrifice for the good of many. But that would run counter to the current prevailing attitude that says greed is good, and if one can accumulate extravagant wealth at the expense of other’s that is just survival of the fittest, free enterprise.
In Dicken’s Christmas Carol, Scrooge is asked to give to the poor and asks the unfortunate canvassers: “are there not prisons, are there not workhouses?” Perhaps what is needed is to “decrease the surplus population” by allowing the poor to starve.
In a sense Scrooge is just like the Ruler who confronts Jesus. He may have followed all the rules of society. But when asked to sacrifice for others, he has no heart for it. He wants to hoard his riches, and not share it with his employee, Bob Cratchett and his crippled son, Tiny Tim.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father generously receives the younger son back after the younger son his literally squandered his part of the family inheritance, which he had the audacity to ask for before his father’s death.
That younger son broke all the rules, disappointed his father, and wasted his opportunity.
We don’t aften spend too much time looking at the lder brother in the parable. He’s only there at the end, bitter over his brother’s return, and jealous that the father killed the fatted calf and held a party to celebrate.
The elder brother, like the ruler who asked Jesus about salvation, didn’t do anything wrong.
He followed all the rules. He worked hard for his father. But he hadn’t learned from his father to have a spirit of generosity, of love, of sacrifice, of putting relationship above wealth.
Instead he was focused on himself, and what he deserved for his hard work.
What did the elder brother show in his reaction to his brother’s return:
*deep anger over what he perceived was unfair treatment.
*a sense of persecution—he had slaved for his father all these years, but a fatted calf had never been slain for him.
*no love or care about his younger brother. No rejoicing that he had come to himself.
*a sense of entitlement. Since I have been faithful to my father all these years, don’t I deserve better than for him to celebrate my younger brother’s return. What about me?
*a lack of foregiveness, and a judgmental attitude.
As we look at the elder brother for the purposes of this series, we have to consider that there are aspects of the elder brother, and the younger brother in all of us, and we need to be conscious of this as we move forward in our lives as followers of Christ.
Both brothers fell short. But at least the younger brother recognized his spiritual failings.
Perhaps the danger of the older brother’s attitude is that it allows for a kind of moralistic spirituality which treats faith as primarily a matter of following the law, and doing what is expected.
However obedience to the law is only part of the path to salvation.
The other part is loving God, and loving our neighbour, and developing the spirit of sacrifice which can lead to peace, joy, love and community.
Being self-righteous, like the elder brother, leads to a spiritual malaise.
Instead we are called to humility, to forgiveness, to always looking for the grace of God,rather than seeking salvation through our own merit.
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