Category Archives: Sunday Morning

Things That Scandalize

Posted on by
Reply

1 He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. (Luke 17)

These two sayings are connected by the words skandala (v. 1) and skandalizo (v. 2). The original meaning of this word group skandal- was “trap;” or, more specifically a trap’s tripping mechanism. The word group is used to translate the Hebrew próskomma, meaning both “trap”, “stumbling block” or, “cause of ruin.”  In the latter sense, this transferred to the religious setting to mean “cause of sin.” But is “cause of sin” the best translation here?  Paul says that “Christ crucified is a stumbling block (skándalon) to the Jews” (1 Cor 1:23) and also describes the cross as a stumbling block (skándalon) (Galatians 5:11).  Consider three other modern gospel translations, all noted for faithful adherence to translation. 

Continue reading →

The optimist in me

Posted on by
3

This story about the “dishonest steward” follows immediately after St. Luke’s telling of the Prodigal Son in which the young man wastes wealth and opportunity, but comes to his senses, returns home and is restored to the family. The dishonest steward is one who wastes his position and opportunity, comes to his senses and works to restore his future from his pending dismissal. Did Luke intentionally put these two stories back-to-back? Hard to know. I will tell you that the parable of the dishonest steward is one of the most debated parables among scripture scholars. So, if you are hoping that I will unravel the wisdom and mystery of this parable for you … well, that would be a long wait for a train don’t come. But I will give it a go. Continue reading →

Journey On

Posted on by
Reply

The gospel for today includes the well known passage from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” It also includes a perhaps not as well known passage: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” I think folks quickly get “Son of Man…lifted up” as a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and death on Good Friday. But the part, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert…” is perhaps unfamiliar and is easy to get lost in the fame of John 3:16.

The first reading today is from The Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Old Testament. Numbers is the title of the book in English, but the Hebrew title is Bemiḏbar, “in the wilderness” which is a better description as the whole book recounts a large part of the 40 years in the wilderness between Israel’s enslavement in Egypt and reaching the Promised Land. It has not been an easy journey and the people have complained about… well, about everything. It is an ongoing litany of “what have you done for us lately.” The people even go so far as to complain to Moses:  “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” These are not happy campers on this wilderness trek.

Continue reading →

Everyday Crosses

Posted on by
Reply

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (v.27).

It is a phrase we are all well familiar with and so often it is taken to mean that when we are beset by problems, plagued by troubles, and at the point of being burdened beyond hope. That we should remember what Christ has done for us on his Cross and be renewed in the love of God to persevere and to turn over our sufferings to Jesus, joining our sufferings with his.  The verse does have that meaning and application in our lives, but that meaning does not exhaust the treasures that lie within God’s word.  

The gospels of this summer have been lessons on how we are to be disciples in the everyday of our lives.  But how do we think about carrying our cross in everyday life? To carry one’s cross is to have discerned our mission as part of God’s plan – in the everyday, when things are OK, lots of SSDD – you know, same stuff, different day.  But unless we are attentive to God’s plan , there are several pitfalls and bumps along the way.  One of the pitfalls is to craft for ourselves a more comfortable cross.

Continue reading →

Honor and Humility

Posted on by
1

We can probably spend the next hour telling humorous and outrageous stories about seating.  From seats at school, seats on airplanes, and stories of being seated at wedding receptions with folks that are, …what can I say?  “Unique” seems like a good word. We even have stories about seats at church.

Did you know that until the early/mid twentieth century, it was common practice in Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian churches to rent pews in churches to families or individuals as a means of raising income? This was especially common in the United States where, unlike Europe, churches lacked governmental financial support. So, churches rented pews to families, which of course enforced a sort of social status in church seating within a parish. It led to all kinds of problems. Should the pew rents simply be renegotiated, should they occasionally be subject to auction, can they be included in the will, bequeathed to the next generation?  

Continue reading →

I know you

Posted on by
Reply

We know from St. Paul’s First Letter to Timothy that God desires that all be saved (1 Tim 2:4).  It is Paul’s way of telling that the call to salvation is offered to everyone; it echoes the message of today’s first reading from the Prophet Isaiah. We already know that is God’s desire, and yet we sometimes have the same question asked in the Gospel: “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus’ response does nothing to comfort the questioner: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” 

Scripture doesn’t tell us what is in the background of the one who asked the question. But what about us? Why are we asking? Maybe we have the same worries as they did more than 2,000 years ago. Perhaps we are worried about family members and friends gone astray. Folks who are no longer active in their faith; folks holding views on issues such as birth control, divorce and remarriage and others at the intersection of the Church and the modern world. People who have works of mercy but are without faith, will they be saved?

Continue reading →

Distractions and Finishing

Posted on by
Reply

In the second reading today from the Letter to the Hebrews, the author tells us “persevere in running the race that lies before us.” It is an apt sports metaphor for life. Perseverance in life – the needed persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. We know all things in life take preparation and practice. Even then things don’t always go as planned.

In the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Marathon, one of the runners from Tanzania was John Akhwari. During the race he fell, dislocated his kneecap, injured his shoulder, and was bruised and bloodied. After receiving medical attention, he continued the race. He finished more than 1 hour after the winner. By the time he finished, the medals for the Marathon had been awarded. Most people had left as darkness drew over the stadium, but people had heard there was one more competitor on the course, injured but persevering. He entered the stadium to complete the lap that would finish the race – there were still 7,000 spectators remaining. He finished, cheered on by a “great cloud of witnesses” giving him a standing ovation. Later he was asked why had not quit, why he continued, he replied, “My country did not send me 7,000 miles around the world to start the race, but to finish it.”

God did not send you into this life just to start the race, but to be able to join with St. Paul, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7)

Continue reading →

Know who, how and when to serve

Posted on by
Reply

“By faith…” Abraham went out from a land not his own to a place he and Sarah were to inherit. And in that long journey they continued to move forward, against all odds and sense, but always in faith.  That journey was not only of faith, but also of service.  Three weeks ago our first reading was an example of how Abraham and Sarah welcomed three travelers with hospitality – and this adds to the accounts of Abraham’s service – to his family and clan, to Lot and his family, to the King of Salem, and so many others. The story of Abraham’s life is a story told in the outlines of faith and in the outlines of service – all part of discipleship.

Discipleship has been a focus of the summer gospels, all from Luke. Jesus has pointed out the importance of trust when engaged in mission (14th Sunday); compassion and the universality of the meaning of neighbor (15th Sunday); how anxiety can burden and impede discipleship (16th Sunday); the necessity of prayer (17th Sunday); the way earthly riches can interfere with discipleship (18th Sunday); and finally this week the parable of the reliable steward.

Continue reading →

The Things We Store Away

Posted on by
1

The Rich Fool of our parable gets a bad rap.  Compared to other parables, there is no wrongdoing, no theft, inflating invoices, skimming off the top, no taking advantage of workers in the vineyard. Maybe he is just preparing for his retirement where he and his family can finally rest and relax, – and sure, eat, drink, and be merry. His goals seem similar to our own concerns with our savings and retirement plans.

Let’s be honest if you or I had a bumper crop like the Rich Fool we would be figuring out ways to store and preserve our good fortune. Maybe not the way in which the Rich Fool does.  Hopefully we would thank God for his harvest, from his fields, via his rains. Hopefully we would not consume and possess things indiscriminately, relentlessly grabbing for all that we can, hoping to insulate ourselves from our insecurities and our fears.  Those are the concerns of this life, but what about eternal life?

Continue reading →

Wrestling with Prayer

Posted on by
Reply

I think that lots of us wrestle with prayer. A friend of mine has been separated from her husband for several years, and has prayed that God would reunite them. She hasn’t seen any movement on the issue and her husband seems to be moving on. She asked me “At what point should I stop praying for my desire and simply ask for acceptance of the situation?”  Tough question.  Equally as difficult are the questions about illness and dying – our own or that of a loved one. At what point do we move from prayers for healing and a cure of a serious illness, and begin to ask God for a peaceful and happy death?  Just like in life, so too we are often betwixt and between in prayer.  It seems to me that when praying for personal concerns, two questions often confuse us. 

– How persistent should we be in prayer, and

– How boldly should we pray

How long should we persist in making a request to God? For some it seems like we reach a point when persevering in prayer amounts to pestering God, being overly pushy – or worse yet, is it a case of  refusing to accept God’s will? When does persistent praying indicate faith, and when does it indicate a  stubbornness bent on changing God instead of ourselves?

Continue reading →