17th Sunday after Pentecost - Year C (Luke 16: 1-13)

Beyond the often discussed dichotomy between God and wealth set up in this passage, on closer reading there seems to be an even more radical message that Jesus wants to present. The text seems to imply that all material wealth is tainted with dishonesty. There is no such thing as clean money.


There have been a number of stories in the news lately about so-called blood diamonds. These are diamonds mined in a strife torn region, usually in Africa, and then sold. The proceeds of the sale go on to financially support violence inflicted on the innocent by insurgents, invaders, war lords, etc. Thanks to a movie and recent celebrity testimony at a war crimes tribunal, most socially conscious jewel merchants and members of the buying public are aware of the issue and can make more informed decisions about what they buy and sell. But even if you can be fairly sure that the jewels are not blood diamonds, what do you know about the wages and working conditions of the miners?

Every cent, no matter how freshly minted the actual coin, comes with a history. No matter how honest your own business practices, no dollar comes your way that has not been touched by dishonesty. The Gospel, at least in this instance, does not suggest that Christians should not use money. The point is to remember that money is a tool and an imperfect one at best.

16th Sunday after Pentecost – Year C (Luke 15:1-10)

This reflection is being posted earlier than usual. At the suggestion of one of my readers I am using this opportunity to get a week ahead. That allows preachers who are ahead of the game, and there are some, to get a look at my thoughts in a timely fashion.
We have often heard it said that God’s ways are not our ways and, generally speaking, we are glad of that. There are times though, when God’s ways seem blatantly unfair. This parable is an example. In particular I am talking about those of us who count ourselves among the ninety-nine sheep who are left feeling at best underappreciated and, at worst, abandoned. Which one of you, Jesus asks, would not leave the ninety-nine sheep to go off in search of the one who got lost. Well no one in their right mind. Two in the hand is worth one in the bush. Why endanger the whole herd to go out looking for that one sheep that obviously has nothing worthwhile to contribute to the herd’s gene pool?
In my reflections for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost, I suggested that Jesus does not have much use for rugged individualism. This Sunday’s parable reminds us of the other side of that coin. Jesus does care about individuals. The shepherd risks the ninety-nine to save the one and though the text is not explicit about this, it implies that the woman spends her other nine coins on a party to celebrate the one that was lost. The extravagance of both the shepherd and the woman seem to us, at least, to be misplaced and ultimately, unfair. It is only when we recognize ourselves as the one sheep or coin that we can come to understand the incredible depth of God’s love and mercy poured out for each of us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

15th Sunday After Pentecost - Year C (Luke 14:25-33)

I have often been among those who loudly assert that there is no such thing as individual salvation or a personal savior. The church, for better or worse, is the ark and we are all on board together whether we like it or not. At first it might appear that Jesus directly contradicts that assertion by putting forward the image of disciple as rugged individual. The disciple stands alone with no ties to family or goods, absolutely free to live, or die, as his or her call demands.


But then again, perhaps this teaching directs the disciple not to rugged individuality but to a new kind of community. Each Christian emerges from the waters of baptism alone and, symbolically if not in reality, naked. The old order of relationships based on clan and tribe has been overthrown making a new network of relationships possible. The old economy of scarcity has been transformed, freeing the disciple from the tyranny of possessions. Blood and gold no longer determine belonging or status. All are welcome in this new ecclesia. Finally, after baptism, the disciple lives on the other side of death, no longer dominated by fear or the clutching after mere survival.

None of this is to suggest that the demands of discipleship are not difficult. The cross remains. The blessing is that we do not carry our crosses alone.

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Year C (Luke 14:1, 7-14)

Even though linked together by a common setting and theme, I think it is important to examine verses 7-11 and 12-14 independently. And so I begin with 7-11. While it might be amusing to see Jesus here as a first century Miss Manners, to do so would really miss the point. On the surface, It is true that the subject of Jesus’ parable does seem to be behavior and the appropriate humility befitting his disciples. What we discover however is that the banquet is a metaphor for our life before God and that the story is not so much about behavior as it is attitude. It is the host (God) who makes the seating chart and sets the place cards, not the guests. To do otherwise is to make presumptions about God’s relationships with others and ourselves that we are in no position to make. It is no accident that most Christian worship begins with an acknowledgement of sin and complete dependence on God’s mercy poured out in Jesus Christ.
The parable does suggest a hierarchy that makes many of us uncomfortable. It appears that while there will be no “haves and have nots” at God’s table there are some who are closer and others who are farther away. Verse 11, though, does seem to imply an eventual leveling out. Perhaps the hierarchal arrangement demanded by first century dining practices (and not uncommon in the twenty-first) needs to be replaced by the image of round table. And where does the host sit in such an arrangement? We must never forget that the host at this meal is also our true food and drink.
Verses 12 -14 have a slightly different focus. In this teaching, Jesus warns his hearers that the “haves” must not exclude the “have nots”. The Church is not a social club for the successful and the Eucharist is not a reward for meritorious service or good behavior. This teaching is about an inclusive evangelism that invites everyone to the table. It is a teaching that seeks to overturn our human tendency to assume scarcity rather than celebrate abundance. Being able to give without thought of getting is the ultimate test of faith in God’s providential care.

Finally, at the risk of indicting me and most of my readers, why in this nation of churches would it ever be possible to find on Sunday morning any one on the street, anyone hungry, anyone lonely, and anyone without a share of this nation’s bounty? Where are the literalists who demand that we take the scriptures at face value? Where are the liberals who insist that the Good News is for the poor and distressed?

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Year C (Luke 13:10-17)

For Martin Luther, the primary point of the third commandment for Christians is that there must be time set aside for the proclamation of the Gospel. In fact, he has little sympathy for the idea that people need a day of rest. As far as Luther is concerned, if a person is not in church on Sunday, they might as well be at work. The Gospel is preached by word and sacrament within the Christian assembly, the church. If you have not participated in that proclamation then you have failed to observe the commandment no matter what else you might have done or not done that day.
By his teaching and example, Jesus takes a similar (but perhaps less rigorous?) approach. For Jesus, the Sabbath provides an opening through which the Kingdom can insert itself into human history. Jesus uses the Sabbath as an opportunity to proclaim the good news of God’s reign to a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years by “setting her free” from her ailment. The Sabbath is not an end in itself and, turning again to Luther, the Law becomes Gospel.
I think that both Jesus and Luther teach us that we keep the Sabbath by providing a space in our busy lives where God has a chance to act. The Sabbath then, is not a burden but a source of freedom. Through our observance of the Sabbath we are set free from our addiction to control. We are set free from the subtle idolatries that make gods of our work, projects or goods. In that space, the good news of our salvation in Christ has a chance to be heard and believed.

Mea Culpa

I apologize for having accidently skipped a week by publishing the commentary for this week's Gospel as if it were for last week.

12th Sunday after Pentecost Year C (Luke 12:49-56)

Given the so-called culture wars, it is always bears repeating that Jesus was never the “family values” kind of fellow folks not familiar with the Gospels might believe him to be based on the propaganda. Both when confronted by issues in his own family or by larger questions of familial relationships, Jesus appears, in fact, to have small regard for the “traditional family”. For Jesus the only commitments that are ultimately important are his commitment to his Father and his disciples’ commitment to him. All other relationships, arrangements, and commitments, familial or otherwise, are subservient to these.


The cross is ultimately good news for the world but before it can be recognized as such it first has to be experienced by both Jesus and his disciples as bad news. Before it can be the instrument of peace and reconciliation it must be the instrument of torture and death that it most assuredly is. The cross is no easy fix, no divine Band-Aid for a wounded world. The cross is no less an option for the disciple as it was for Jesus.

Our families, traditional or otherwise, are important. I think Martin Luther’s attitude toward family is instructive. The same Luther who saw family as one of God’s greatest gifts was also able to say (sing) in his most famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, that spouse and children might need to be “let go” for the sake of the Gospel. Luther is only able to say this because of his belief that God’s truth abides and that God’s reign is forever.