Events&Activities

The message for March 14, 2010 concerns the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Most are familiar with this parable of forgiveness and redemption. Is it possible to consider who we might be in this morality parable. Is it possible that we have all squandered what we have been given. Have we demanded too much and then taken what we were given and misused it?

Let's remember that there are many people who choose difficult pathways and then seek healing and restoration. Many people find that in their diispair, the still speaking God calls to them back to a better way of living and thinking. We are all children of a forgiving God. Many of us are parent to a child, if not a child figure in our lives. Do we love and forgive unconditionally? Do we allow others to exercise free will even knowing that mistakes are being made? Do we empower or enable?

Who are we in this parable: father, son, brother, friends who support the dangerous pathways?

March 14, 2010

The Prodigal Son

Joshua 5:9-12

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.
While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Psalm 32

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom God imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
While I kept silence, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to God,"
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in God.
Be glad in God and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable:
“ There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”

Three perspectives…
From that of the youngest son who squandered his father’s fortune and who was restored to well-being and relationship. Who having confessed his transgression was given the robe and ring of his father’s authority and blessing. These could be seen as a conferring of birth right. Is the youngest son being elevated to the status of first born?
He had engaged in wine, and women, he had eaten with pigs. He had become dissolute. He had rebelled against all that was normative for his society. He had sinned to an unimaginable degree. He had nothing left. He was spiritually and morally bankrupt.
The older son is furious and outraged that while he labored for his father while his brother refused to do so and squandered the inheritance that the older brother worked so hard to increase, it is his younger brother who is honored with the banquet when he returns from the depths of his despair. The older brother wants the recognition and appreciation. Could it be that he did all that he did for the wrong reasons?
There is the Father who allows his son the free reign to leave the comfort and security of home and family. He allows him to waste away to the point of self-destruction. He does not try and compel him to act in a way that is in his best interest. When his son comes to his senses after hitting rock bottom, when his son confesses his transgressions against God and himself, he forgives. He allows reconciliation with the same grace that he allowed his son to leave. He opens his arms, his heart, and his home to his son who was dead and was brought back, who was lost and his now found.
Now there is another level to this tri-fold parable,
Who are the sinners and tax collectors in this parable? Clearly they have been identified as being unclean and transgressors.” the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Are these people being compared to the youngest son? They have come to Jesus seeking something. They had come back to the father through the words of Christ. They sought redemption and reconciliation in the arms of the only one they knew would accept them. No matter who they were, no matter where they were on their lives” journey, Jesus welcomed them with open arms and heart. Jesus offered them comfort and healing. Jesus offered them love.
Then there are the Pharisees and the scribes. They are grumbling and complaining that Jesus is consorting with sinners and tax collectors, with the unclean. They after all are righteous in the eyes of God doing what is right in the eyes of God and community and letting everyone know that they were. Were they doing what was right for the wrong reasons? They clearly have issues with this upstart rabbi/prophet/teacher from Galilee. After all, nothing good could come from Galilee the home of those upstart zealots who threatened the fragile relationship between Rome and home. They see sinners being given a better status and treatment than themselves.
Now, this leaves the perspective of the Father. Who in this parable, this morality tale is in the role of the Father? God has always been seen as a Father figure. Jesus himself uses the term of endearment Abba when talking about God. This interpretation works in the parable. God as loving father who forgives sins was a concept with which people were familiar. The psalmist tells us today in Psalm 32
“ I said, "I will confess my transgressions to God,"
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
When one confesses with sincerity, God forgives. God as father “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.” So it is in the 32 psalm that God is described. And isn’t this how the son is welcomed when he returns home, with glad cries of deliverance?
And yet there is a deeper level. To whom is it that the sinners are coming and acknowledging their transgressions? It is to Jesus…..Jesus is making it clear that he is forgiving sins and restoring those who have confessed to full relationship with his Father, with himself.
And so who are we?
Are we the younger son having each of us missed the mark and done things for which we need forgiveness and healing?
Are we the elder son who resents it when others we think we are better than are healed?
Or are we both….I can’t help wonder what the middle child would have done in this parable would have done. I can’t help but wonder what the daughter in the family would have done?
Jesus is using a brilliant psychology in this parable. Everyone who heard identified with whom they were acting like in the parable. He knew that defending himself against the grumbling would do no good. Instead he told a parable.
Let those with ears hear, let those with eyes see, let those with hearts love and forgive.

March 7, 2010

Isaiah 55:1-9
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and you that have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord,
that he may have mercy on them, and to our God,
for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God loves us God is with us God sustains us in times of trouble God constantly forgives us. God constantly is calling us to turn away from that which isolates us and calls us back to him.
If we are forced into exile and taken to distant lands God is there If we force ourselves into exile by our behavior God calls us back to him. We are a people called out into the wilderness to examine our hearts and souls and called back out of the wilderness to form and build communities that will sustain us in the radiance of his still speaking call to radical forgiveness, radical charity, radical transformations, and radical love. His voice calls out to use, light radiating form his divine presence illuminates constantly our way home. This poetry from the mouth of the prophet and poet Isaiah is the heart of the biblical message: Minister Kate Huey tells us the heart of that message is this:
“ God loves us, no matter what, and reaches out to us even (or especially) in the worst of times, making promises that are not just pie-in-the-sky, not just theoretical. God promises the things that we most yearn for, deep down in our hearts, the very basics of life: homecoming when we're lost or far away, a rich feast when we're hungry, flowing fresh water to satisfy our thirst, and a community of hope when we long for meaning in our lives – something greater than ourselves,”
The prophets often seem full of despair and dark foreboding. There is truth in that image, for they often speak to the people of dire things to come. They often warn the nation of the consequences of acting in ways that are against the s=essential truth of God’s love. And yet in that darkness is the hope and promise of reconciliation and redemption, The calling home from lost places, the hope and promise of the future sitting and basking in the light and warmth of God’s loving embrace. Turn away and turn back. Turn away from the shadow of exile and sin and trun back to the light of healing, of forgiveness and of love.
Come back to me God calls through the prophets birth all who are thirsty, all who are hungry, all who long for the comfort of a home. Come back to me and be embraced by my love

While the reading from the prophet Isaiah does all this and more, the Psalm is perhaps the response of one of those in exile who longs for the love of God the prophet promises.
Psalm 63:1-8

O God, you are my God,
I seek you, my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
***************************************

I will seek you out, my soul thirsts for you, I will look for you
I will drink from the water of your goodness, I will meditate upon you in the night and in the day you sustain me and support me I reach out to you.

I Corinthians 10:1-13

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Luke 13:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Generically, a Galilean is an inhabitant of Galilee. Galileans (or Galilæans) were also the members of a fanatical sect (Zealots), followers of Judas of Galilee, who fiercely resented the taxation of the Romans, and whose violence contributed to induce the latter to vow the extermination of the whole race. The term was used by late antique pagan reactionaries such as the Emperor Julian as a contemptuous synonym for Christian.
Bible commentators have speculated that the tower of Siloam may have been part of a Roman aqueduct connected to the Pool of Siloam. [4] At least two aqueducts are known to have carried water to the pool from the Gihon Spring, but these aqueducts were built into the ground, not on elevated viaducts requiring towers.
It has also been speculated that the tower was a fortress built to defend the city,
The pool is mentioned or alluded to several times in the Bible. Isaiah 8:6 mentions the pool's waters, while Isaiah 22:9 ff. references the construction of Hezekiah's tunnel. For Christians, the pool has additional significance as it is mentioned in the Gospel of John, as the location to which Jesus sent a man who had been blind from birth, as part of the act of healing him[2].

What does it take to bear the fruit for which you were planted. Do you use your gifts…The Nun’s story humility vs courage
9-11
Katrina
Haiti
Aids God’s wrath
Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

In addition to typical liberalism, Rev. Wright also preaches black liberation theology which views the stories of the Bible as metaphors for the struggles of African Americans. The theology believes:
African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondageâ€”social, political, economic, and religious. This liberation involves empowerment and “also demands the right of self-definition, self-affirmation, and self-determination.
“" I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday did anybody else see or hear him? He was on FOX News, this is a white man, and he was upsetting the FOX News commentators to no end, he pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true, he said Americas chickens, are coming home to roost.”
" We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism.
" We took Africans away from their country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.
" We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.
" We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.
" We bombed Qaddafi's home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your children's head against the rock.
" We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that they'd never get back home.
" We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye.
" Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day.
" We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.
" Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said that y'all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said the people we have wounded don't have the military capability we have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them. And we need to come to grips with that."
He went on to describe seeing the photos of the aftermath of 9/11 because he was in Newark, N.J., when the planes struck. After turning on the TV and seeing the second plane slam into one of the twin towers, he spoke passionately about what if you never got a chance to say hello to your family again.
" What is the state of your family?" he asked.
And then he told his congregation that he loved them and asked the church to tell each other they loved themselves.
His sermon thesis:
1. This is a time for self-examination of ourselves and our families.
2. This is a time for social transformation (then he went on to say they won't put me on PBS or national cable for what I'm about to say. Talk about prophetic!)
" We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a society," he said.
Wright then said we can't stop messing over people and thinking they can't touch us. He said we may need to declare war on racism, injustice, and greed, instead of war on other countries.
" Maybe we need to declare war on AIDS. In five minutes the Congress found $40 billion to rebuild New York and the families that died in sudden death, do you think we can find the money to make medicine available for people who are dying a slow death? Maybe we need to declare war on the nation's healthcare system that leaves the nation's poor with no health coverage? Maybe we need to declare war on the mishandled educational system and provide quality education for everybody, every citizen, based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay. This is a time for social transformation."
3. This is time to tell God thank you for all that he has provided and that he gave him and others another chance to do His will.