jesus the migrant: 6th sunday after pentecost

[today was our first attempt towards a bilingual (spanish-english) service at immanuel]

the other reading i reference is galatians 5:1,13-25

 

el santo evangelio de nuestro señor jesucristo, según san lucas.  gloria a ti, cristo señor.

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.”

el evangelio del señor.  te alabamos, cristo señor.

-----

in today’s reading we encounter jesus as he “sets his face to go to jerusalem.”  from here on out, luke takes us with jesus toward the cross.  this is clear in the reading as all jesus seems to be doing is traveling—migrating.  the specific towns or villages along the way do not much seem to matter.  what matters is that he is moving, migrating, journeying—always toward jerusalem—toward death and new life.

this pattern of migrating—of journeying—should come as no surprise to those of us familiar with the ancestors in the faith found throughout the bible, and throughout our own history.  most of us can trace our personal ancestry back to immigrants, whether in recent generations including ourselves or before the united states became a country.  westport rd. is also part of the oregon, santa fe, and california trails heading “to the west.”  the bible is also full of migrants.  from eve and adam journeying away from the garden of eden to sarah, abraham, and hagar traveling to and from egypt and throughout mesopotamia on a promise from god, down to jesus—descendent of a wandering aramean and a wanderer himself.

nowadays in this global world, it is easy for those of us from the united states with enough money to journey to other countries, to cross borders.  many of us do it each year—for vacation or for business.

other beloved children of god travel out of necessity, for opportunity.  many, like jesus, know the danger that lies ahead.  they have set their face to go and they are going even if it means torture or death.  others, like the disciples, might have a vague idea about the danger of crossing borders, but because of the danger and lack of opportunity at home it doesn’t really matter, and it doesn’t really hit them until they are in the midst of those dangers.  for folks who travel out of necessity: though there is danger on the way, they also trust that there is new life to be found on the other side.

as i ended my third year of college in decorah, ia in may of 2008, us immigration and customs enforcement or ice conducted what was, at the time, the largest immigration raid in us history in the nearby town of postville.  they rounded up so many beloved children of god that the only place they could think to put them was, like cattle at a nearby fair grounds. 

the government came into this small community of postville, ia, a self-identified “hometown to the world” where people from many cultures and religions were learning how to be a community, and the government caused chaos and panic.  children, coming home from school had no idea where their parents were and the next day ½ of the students didn’t return to school.

beloved children of god were working hard in poor and at times abusive conditions at the local slaughterhouse and meat-packing plant.  they were supporting and providing opportunity for their families one day, and were taken away the next.  they were treated as if their whole being was illegal.  even the courts later ruled their treatment inhumane—illegal.  they were treated like the animals killed and processed where they work.  their humanity was lost.

during the following fall, i spent time each week with some of the women who were fighting deportation in the courts.  they wore a shackle around their ankle, tracking their every move, and had to sit still for 2 hours a day to charge it.  they needed to support their families and so were released from detention on “humanitarian grounds” and yet were not allowed to work to provide for those same families.

i met with these women and officially we worked on learning more english and navigating us customs and bill-paying.  in reality, we talked about whatever they wanted or needed to talk about and i learned from them.  these women who had survived not only the journey over walls, under fences, through the water and through the desert to cross borders for themselves and their families, but who had also survived the terror of the immigration raid.  in the time i spent with them, i learned of the struggles they faced in the countries they came from and the trust and hope they had for their lives in the united states. 

some people refer to these beloved children of god as “illegals” and yet as i have waited and prayed with the world as nelson mandela continues to struggle for his life, i came across a quote in which mandela said, “when a [person] is denied the right to live the life [they believe] in, [they have] no choice but to become an outlaw.” 

these beloved children of god are fighting for their lives and the lives and futures of their children and in that fight, they saw as their only option migration to a country that promises hope, freedom, and a future.

these women have stronger faith than i can imagine in a god who loves them and who tells them and us in jeremiah [29:11], “for surely i know the plans i have for you, says the lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”

these women had long ago set their faces to go to jerusalem.  they know intimately what it means when “foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but they, with jesus, have nowhere to lay their head.”  they know the pain and the danger of migrating and yet they have a hope inside them that there is a way to provide for their families.  that this country is actually a country of hope and freedom, that if we work hard enough we might actually be able to succeed, or at least scrape by.  that they can contribute to the good of this country and of their communities.

we call this country the land of the free.  we pride ourselves on the freedoms and rights we guarantee to those within our borders and yet we must ask ourselves what kind of freedom it is.

paul states that “for freedom christ has set us free.”  we are free not for self-indulgence, but that “through love [we might] become slaves to one another.” 

christ frees us to “love our neighbor as ourselves.”

christ frees us and calls us forward to witness to that freedom—witnessing by the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.   christ calls us in freedom to love the stranger and neighbor among us; to love, serve, and learn from the one who disagrees with us; to love, serve, and learn from the one who speaks another language, the one from another place, even the one others call illegal.

as followers of christ, we are called to journey together—strangers together in a strange land.  we journey together and are freed in christ.  in our journey together we come to know each other and strangers become neighbors.  we begin to see each other as beloved children of god. 

and in this way christ empowers us to free everyone from the oppression they face. “for,” as nelson mandela states, “to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”  christ frees and empowers us to recognize all people—native, migrant, resident, and citizen—as beloved children of god.

god's love is uncondition - how will you respond? - 4th sunday after pentecost

a little late, but here is my sermon from june 16th.

the holy gospel according to luke the 7^th chapter.  glory to you, o lord.

³⁶one of the pharisees asked jesus

       to eat with him,

              and he went into the pharisee’s house

              and took his place at the table.

³⁷and 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.

            ³⁸she 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.

³⁹now 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.”

⁴⁰jesus spoke up and said to him,

       “simon,

              i have something to say to you.”

“teacher,”

       he replied,

              “speak.”

⁴¹“a certain creditor had two debtors;

       one owed five hundred denarii,

       and the other fifty.

       ⁴²when they could not pay,

              he canceled the debts for both of them.

                     now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³simon answered,

       “i suppose the one for whom

              he canceled the greater debt.”

and jesus said to him,

       “you have judged rightly.”

⁴⁴then 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.

                     ⁴⁵you gave me no kiss,

                            but from the time i came in

                                   she has not stopped

                                          kissing my feet.

                     ⁴⁶you did not anoint my head with oil,

                            but she has anointed my feet

                                   with ointment.

              ⁴⁷therefore, 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.”

⁴⁸then he said to her,

       “your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹but those who were at the table with him

       began to say among themselves,

              “who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰and he said to the woman,

       “your faith has saved you;

              go in peace.”

8soon afterwards

       he went on through cities and villages,

              proclaiming

              and bringing

                     the good news of the kingdom of god.

              the twelve were with him,

                     ²as well as some women

                            who had been cured

                                   of evil spirits

                                   and infirmities:

              mary, called magdalene,

                     from whom seven demons had gone out,

              ³and joanna,

                     the wife of herod’s steward chuza,

              and susanna,

              and many others,

                     who provided for them

              out of their resources.

the gospel of the lord.  praise to you, o christ.

 -----

considering today is father’s day, today’s readings do not show men in all that favorable of a light. 

david is responsible for many sins regarding “the wife of uriah” and uriah himself, resulting in the death of his child.  he claims for his own who and what is not his.  women may have been simply considered property at the time, but even so, as the text makes abundantly clear, she did not belong to david.  bathsheeba is the wife of uriah.  she does not “ask for” david to see her and want to be with her.  david, of his own volition sets the snowball of sins in motion, culminating in even killing uriah and the death of his own son.

simon the pharisee seems quite full of himself and self-righteous.  he begins well with basic hospitality, providing a meal for jesus, but doesn’t quite grasp the full breadth and depth of god’s grace and love, thinking more highly of himself than he ought, looking down on the woman who comes to jesus, and not providing jesus with water to wash his feet.

now jesus…well, he’s jesus, so he’s on a whole different playing field regarding sin. 

and to be fair, even the woman is identified as a sinner.  we don’t know what she did, just that she too, like each of us, was a sinner.

our sins also are many and few—great and small.  as simple as arguments with family and friends, neglect of relationships or as complicated as scheming against another person, abuse of people and the environment, or any of a variety of illegal or immoral activities.  for some people, like simon the pharisee, thinking too highly of ourselves is a sin while for others, perhaps like this woman, not valuing ourselves enough can be a sin.

so just when we are really starting to relate to david, to blame ourselves and our sins—the extra time we stay away from home and at work, our seemingly constant worrying about money, our inattentive parenting, or perhaps an affair—for all that is wrong and bad in our lives and in the world, paul reminds us in galatians that salvation does not depend on us.

even the good stuff and the bad stuff the women and men do pale in comparison to the love and grace of god.  david’s sins, though many, are taken away as are simon’s, the woman’s and ours.  it is not up to us to do the best or worst in the world.  it is up to god.  jesus the christ saves us all here and now.  he comes to be with simon, even knowing his self-righteousness.  salvation comes today, not through works, but through faith-the grace of god.

god’s love for us is unconditional.  god knows every part of who we are.  when simon says 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,” it’s a bit ironic because jesus does know who this woman is.  yes, he knows that she, like us, is a sinner.  he also knows more deeply than that that she is a beloved child of god.  jesus knows who she is on a much deeper, more profound level than simon did and he knows whose she is.  she is loved by god and justified not by washing jesus’ feet, but by faith in jesus the christ.

jesus is preaching the forgiveness of sins—a place for everyone at the table; a place where it is not possible to sin so much that you aren’t allowed in.  this unnamed woman has heard this message, she has been given grace and forgiveness. 

and to know,      that the One who is giver of all this goodness and life is in your town.  well, what else would you do?  having received the priceless gift of grace—forgiveness, the woman joyfully, tearfully, and eagerly responds with service and gift back to god.  she comes to jesus and washes his feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, and anoints them with ointment.

washing his feet is merely an outward sign of this change that jesus has worked in her, bringing salvation to her now, not simply when she dies.  god is here now.  you are saved here.  now.  you are free from the power of sin—you are free from the need to perform, to look good, to be liked, to be nice.  you are freed from all those pressures of the world here.  now. 

 

those pressures don’t just disappear, but you are no longer beholden to them—enslaved by them.

nothing can negate god’s love and grace, no matter how hard we might “try.”  our works—works of the law—societal pressures—are not necessary.  we are justified by grace through our faith.  that is what good news is.  that is what it means to be set free.

so the question becomes: now what?

you are free, so what will you do?

this freedom can be scary and it can be hard and it is certainly not the message we receive in this “meritocracy,” and perhaps that is why we call it good news.  it is good because it flies in the face of the cultural messages that inundate us, telling us that we can and must earn every excess imaginable.  it is good because it declares that there is another way. 

it is news because it is a new way of being in the world—a very old new way, to be sure, yet it always feels new (perhaps because we never quite get it all right the first time around).  it is news because it is worth shouting from the rooftop.  you are free in christ by god’s grace.

and this is what we respond to.  we receive god’s grace and love unconditionally and as we know ourselves to be sinners as well as saints, we come with this woman to jesus’ feet, pouring out our love.  in grateful and loving response to god’s grace, we give ourselves and all that we consider ours back to god.

this woman pours out her love for jesus in action and in resources.  she washes his feet with her tears, she dries his feet with her hair, and she anoints his feet with ointment—blessing that part of him that suffers the most wear and tear in all his walking around. 

she does not wash and anoint jesus’ feet because she has to or in order to earn her salvation—that would be relying on the law and works for salvation and righteousness.  but, because she is relying on jesus—that is, as paul says, she is justified by grace through faith in christ—she is free to respond with joy to the grace she has received and so, since she is filled with such love, she pours it back out, giving back to god.  trusting in god’s abundance that jesus will know the love and devotion that the tears and ointment and kisses embody.

jesus is here and the woman recognizes that the kin-dom of god is here and now.  salvation has come to her and it has come to you and me.  we have received the ultimate gift of grace and salvation in our baptisms and there is nothing we can do about it.

everyone responds to it differently.  david repents and renews his commitment to god.  the woman washes feet.  simon provides dinner.  the women who follow jesus provide for them monetarily. 

what will you do?  how will you respond to this grace and love from god?