July 23, 2011

• What are we to make of the world today?

  Source texts are at the end of the message.

  The past week has certainly been one that challenges our sense of well being.  We had a heat wave that was brutal to those who could not escape it and economically costly to those who could.  We live in a State that has decided to eliminate all benefits to unemployed or under employed persons after 48 months and has made this retroactive.  The expectation is this will get them back to work in a State with the worst unemployment rate in the nation.  We have watched as those elected to govern our country have refused to reason together and create a solution to our national debt crisis.  Their stubbornness has the potential to send not only the United States but the whole world into recession or even depression.  People who depend on government payments to feed and house themselves and their dependents face going without.  And once again we see large scale violence perpetrated by someone who felt God was calling on him to avenge God for the conduct of the politicians of his country.  It is enough to cause us to despair or worse yet to respond in violent ways ourselves to correct what we think is wrong in the world.

   

  Part of what confirms for me the Bible is a living source for the Word of God is, when I read it in difficult times like these, I discover God speaking to me in relevant ways.  There are three source texts for this Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary: the story of Jacob and Laban and the marriage of Jacob to Leah and Rachel, the letter of Paul to the church at Rome where he assures them that nothing can separate them from the love of God, and the Gospel reading where Jesus uses parables to describe God’s dominion and the value of it.  All three of these readings gave me understanding and comfort in relation to what is going on in the world today.

   

  Jacob is a schemer and trickster and it seems this may be a genetic condition as his uncle Laban is also a schemer.  Leah and Rachel are powerless pawns in relation to these two powerful men. In the story, Jacob is working for his uncle in exchange for Rachel to be his wife.  Laban tricks Jacob and marries him to Leah instead and gets seven more years of labor from Jacob to earn the right to marry Rachel.  I see in this story the struggle between the elected leadership of our country, each side trying to best the other with little regard for the consequences for the people who depend on them for their safety. The story never mentions God and we are left to just assume God is working with these two egomaniacs to bring about an outcome where the powerless are not only protected but also achieve a measure of happiness.  Jacob who did not see value in Leah comes to love her and they produce together many children and a prosperous household.  Rachel who has had a life of privilege because of her beauty has learned that life is not always easy and she must trust in more than her privilege to find her happiness.  She also learns to live in a shared situation.  I find hope in the story that God will work with those who are using their power to control and exploit others and will seek the safety and happiness of those who appear powerless in the situation.

   

  Paul’s letter to the church at Rome speaks directly to our situation and how we should respond.  The Roman church was experiencing persecution and there was tension within between the Gentile Christians and the Jewish Christians.  Paul’s message was to bring all of this into perspective.  They are not to trouble themselves about being strong enough to do what needed to be done because their strength came from being children of God.  They needn’t even worry about knowing what to pray for because God’s Spirit is in them and knows what to pray for.  They are not to worry about what the situation of the world will do because the world does not have the ability to separate them from the love of God and living in God’s love is what is most important.  What a relief that is to me,and I hope to you, to know it is not up to me to conquer all the trouble in the world, it is not even my responsibility to know what to pray for in these difficult times.  I can trust in the assurance that no matter what happens, and what horrible things may happen, I am safe knowing that I am loved by God.  We can face religious extremists and political demigods when we know they have no control of the essential core of who I am and whose I am.  They cannot force me to be terrified nor can they force me to be mean spirited, these things will always remain within my control and, if I surrender them to God’s Spirit, I will remain within God’s will.

   

  The Gospel parables may be the most reassuring of all.  Jesus tells us that God’s dominion is like a mustard seed and like a small amount of yeast in a vast amount of flour.  God’s dominion is made up of small things that God expands into large things.  A small loving act can grow into a safe place of shelter for the vulnerable.  I small act of reason can raise a whole lot of thoughtlessness into creating a wise solution.  We are not to worry about doing the great things to solve the whole problem, we are to worry about doing what we can do and doing it to the very best of our ability and letting God grow it into so much more.  Jesus also tells us that the dominion of God is like a treasure in a field or a precious pearl, or a boatload of fish.  We are to look for what is of value and cling to that and let the rest go.  We dig through the dirt to find the treasure,we open a lot of clams to find the pearl, and we wade through vast amount of fish to find the ones worth keeping. Once we find what is of value in our life, that is what we concentrate on, that is where we put our treasure and our effort and we let the rest of it go.

   

  What are we to make of the world today?  We are to make it a more just, safer, and a peaceful place for all of God’s creation.  Amen.

  First reading:  Genesis 29:15-28

  ¹⁵ Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relativeof mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages shouldbe.” ¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah,and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah had weak eyes, butRachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. ¹⁸ Jacob was in lovewith Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your youngerdaughter Rachel.” ¹⁹ Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to youthan to some other man. Stay here with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob served sevenyears to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of hislove for her. ²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My timeis completed, and I want to make love to her.” ²² So Laban broughttogether all the people of the place and gave a feast. ²³ But whenevening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacobmade love to her. ²⁴ And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to hisdaughter as her attendant. ²⁵ When morning came, there was Leah! SoJacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you forRachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” ²⁶ Laban replied, “Itis not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before theolder one. ²⁷ Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will giveyou the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.” ²⁸And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him hisdaughter Rachel to be his wife.

   

  Second reading:  Romans 8:26-39

  ²⁶ Inthe same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we oughtto pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷And the one who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because theSpirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. ²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God,who have been called according to God’s purpose. ²⁹ For those Godforeknew God also predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus, that hemight be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And thoseGod predestined, were also called; those called, were also justified; those justified,God also glorified.

  ³¹ What,then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can beagainst us? ³² The One who did not spare Jesus the Son, but gave himup for us all—how will God not also, along with the Christ, graciously give usall things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God haschosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one whocondemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised tolife—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship orpersecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it iswritten:

  “For your sake we face death all day long;
  we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

  ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerorsthrough the One who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neitherdeath nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else inall creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is inChrist Jesus our Savior.

   

  Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

  ³¹ Hetold them another parable: “The dominion of heaven is like a mustard seed,which a farmer took and planted in the field. ³² Though it is thesmallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plantsand becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” ³³He told them still another parable: “The dominion of heaven is like yeast thata baker took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked allthrough the dough.” ⁴⁴ “The dominion of heaven is like treasurehidden in a field. When a person found it, the person hid it again, and then injoy went and sold all he or she had and bought that field. ⁴⁵“Again, the dominion of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When one of great value is found, the merchant went away and sold everything andbought it. ⁴⁷ “Once again, the dominion of heaven is like a net thatwas let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When itwas full, those  fishing pulled it up onthe shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threwthe bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. Theangels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ andthrow them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashingof teeth.

  ⁵¹ “Haveyou understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

  “Yes,” they replied.

  ⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the lawwho has become a disciple in the dominion of heaven is like the owner of ahouse who brings out of the storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

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