Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Bible Text: Acts 2:1-12; John 14:23-31 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

I had a wonderful time in Ontario this past week. I went first because I had a Canada Youth Planning team meeting. I have been involved in Canada Youth since its beginning- when at the age of 16 I was a member of the very first Canada Youth planning team. Planning the conference is only one part of the planning team experience. The teams are made up of the best of the best in youth ministry and the Presbyterian Church. As a result, gathering together is often refreshing, renewing and a reminder of why it is so good to be Presbyterian. Despite not seeing one another often, getting together with them is always a delight. I stayed a few extra days so that I could attend my brother’s wedding before he and his partner move to Boston. Our family doesn’t see each other all that often given that for the past few years my brother has lived in Halifax and of course I’m out here. Our extended family, while centred throughout Ontario in London and Kingston, also includes folks in New Brunswick and San Jose. So we cherish the family gatherings, especially when they are celebratory. Every time I travel, particularly when heading back to Ontario, there are often hellos and goodbyes involved. Of course the hellos are filled with joy as months can go by in which I don’t see my friends or family but the goodbyes are bitter sweet. I’m happy to be returning home, and our home is here in Comox, but sad to be once again so far removed. This was particularly true this past week, following such wonderful celebrations. We made sure to exchange well wishes and hugs and laughter before taking our leave. I recently heard a wonderful devotion by Gloria Gaither, wife to gospel singer Bill Gaither and narrator to the Gaither Homecoming series often seen on Vision TV. She and her family have written over 700 songs ranging from gospel to hymns to praise songs and they have five Grammy awards and many more Gospel Association Music awards. Due to their accomplishments and celebrity they often had to travel. Gloria writes, “Travelling has been a part of our lives from the very early days of our marriage. When our children were little, our singing took us away nearly every weekend and occasionally for longer periods of time. Although leaving was common, it was never easy. Our daughter said to us when she was three, “I know you have to go, but don’t go without saying good-bye.” She knew that leave-taking was very important to everyone’s security and sense of purpose. Before leaving we would give them advice like, “Don’t argue. Take care of the dogs, and always love each other. Remember that you represent our family.” When Jesus was leaving his disciples he too, knew that leave-taking was very important. He didn’t leave them without saying good-bye. Jesus gave some special parental instructions, “Love and take care of

each other. The way you treat each other will tell the world about our family, so remember whose child you are. And the Holy Spirit will see to it that you have all you need.” The Holy Spirit is in effect Jesus’ parting gift but it is also the assurance that the disciples need. Despite the fact that they do not yet fully comprehend what the Spirit does, in fact, I think we are still trying to figure out how the Spirit works, what the Spirit does, and when the Spirit acts, but despite that the disciples seem prepared to receive this gift. Jesus’ farewell discourse with the disciples is teaching them an essential lesson. Jesus will soon depart his disciples and they need to understand how they will still experience his presence. Throughout the entire chapter in John, Jesus is establishing that he is in the Father and the Father is in him. Jesus assures the disciples, particularly Philip, that they will do even greater works that he because they will invoke Jesus’ name and power. In other words, God’s presence will be with them too. The presence, of course, is the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a new concept to the disciples or to the early church. The term Holy Spirit may only appear in the Old Testament three times but the term Spirit of God, is a frequent flyer within those ancient texts. In Hebrew most of the references for Spirit use the term Ruah, which basically means wind or breath. So, when it says the Spirit of God, it is talking about the breath of God breathing life into the people of God. In the New Testament the Greek word is pneuma and it essentially means the same thing. With the exception that baptism changes the image from one of wind to water and that in the waters of baptism we are given a new life, new breath. Within the Jewish tradition the Holy Spirit is God’s only self-expression in word and action in the world. As a result, when the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples we can see not only that it is God’s expression but God’s Spirit that is abiding in and with the disciples. This is something we often don’t think about when discussing the role of the Spirit. This Holy Spirit will, in effect allow the disciples to have similar power to the divine power of Christ. I have heard it said like this, “that the disciples will experience the mystical indwelling that Jesus claims, for God will send to the faithful disciples another Advocate like Jesus. This advocate will not only abide with the disciples as Jesus has done these last three years but the spirit will be in them.” Do you catch it? The Spirit allows the disciples, and us, to be part of this divine relationship between God and Christ. When the Holy Spirit is among us, God’s self-expression is breathing life into our human Spirit.

This however, gives me a sense of unease, for Jesus says, “peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.” He is also quite right in pointing out that this peace is not like any peace known in the world. In fact, the pressure of being part of this divine relationship gives me anything but peace. In Gloria Gaither’s devotion she points out that she gave the children instructions to love, care for one another and be representatives of their family, but we all know that siblings can have the worst fights, families can say the meanest things, and we often don’t look after one another the way we should. But now we are told that through the Spirit we are given the gifts to be like Christ in the world, to be God’s self-expression to others, and of course, that others are reflecting God to us. I know I fail at that responsibility often. Thankfully, we have examples of the disciples failing too. The rest of the Gospel of John touches upon these failings as the disciples fall asleep, betray, deny, and doubt in the following days. But we also know that the Pentecost story as reflected in Acts is also filled with confusion. Even when the disciples have been forewarned that the Spirit is coming they are caught off guard when it arrives. Albeit that the description of a violent wind, flaming tongues of fire, and speaking in different languages is perhaps not the kind of peace they expected. But remember this is not peace as defined in the world. This is not calm, quiet, tranquil moments. This is not even about a time without conflict. This is a kind of peace that stirs within us action when injustices occur. This is the kind of peace that drives our passions in faith. This is the kind of peace that gives us the enthusiasm to follow Christ. This is the kind of peace the pushes us away from those places of comfort and drives us to be divine disciples in the family of God. Through the Holy Spirit the disciples are to become the dwelling place of God’s mysterious and rich presence, and they will be mobilized for dynamic, Jesus-like lives in the world. And guess what, the Spirit is still at work in the world- we are those disciples. Take ownership of that, take responsibility for that, commit to live as God’s self-expression, love one another, care for another, remember we are God’s representatives and be at peace. Amen

Bible Text: Acts 1:1-11; Luke 24:44-53 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

In 1990 Bette Midler released a single called, “From a distance.” The album was nominated for best record of the year and best female pop vocal. The song has lyrics like, “From a distance the world looks blue and green, and the snow-capped mountains white.” and “God is watching us from a distance.” I remember having an in depth conversation at the age of 10 about why this song was so theologically wrong. And yet, on a Sunday like Ascension Sunday it is often not hard to see why this song was so popular. Today we commemorate that one line in our apostle’s creed that states, “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” We just heard the version in Luke’s gospel of how Jesus was carried up into heaven, leaving the disciples behind. We heard in Acts how Jesus was “lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight.” In effect Jesus has left this earth and therefore God is only watching us from a distance.  But that just can’t be right. Yes, the ascension is reminiscent of Moses’ “departure” and yes, the Gospel of Mark says that Jesus was, “taken up into heaven.” But does this mean that all we do down here on earth is seen from a distance?

Prominent homiletics professor and current bishop of the United Methodist Church, William Willimon tells of a similar revelation when he was a student in 1970, during the Black Panther trial. Willimon was attending a choral mass near Yale University and the boys’ choir was singing a composition entitled “Deus Ascendit”, meaning God has gone up. As Willimon listened he found himself reflecting, “How appropriate. God has gone up. Gone up and away. God has left us to our confusion. Abandoned us in the midst of the angry shouts of the mobs, the sound of gunfire and the rhetoric of the revolutionaries.” While Willimon’s thoughts reflected the racial conflicts happening in the United States in 1970, it is certainly a thought that can cross our minds today in the midst of religious radicalism, rhetoric of fear, and suffering throughout our world. God has abandoned us. God has gone up. Gone up and away. But as Willimon sat listening to the choir he realized that the words were not “Deus Abscondit” which means “God has abandoned us.” But rather that, God has gone up but God has not given up on us. The revelation was that the ascension did not symbolize abandonment but rather that what Jesus had begun on earth would be brought to completion in heaven. Jesus ascended not to leave the disciples behind but to complete what he had started through the work of the Holy Spirit, through the church, his body in the world, and through his faithful disciples.

For Luke the story of the ascension was so important that he writes about it twice, first in the closing of the gospel and then in the first chapter in Acts. In the church we celebrate the day of Ascension forty days after Easter Sunday which means that it is actually this coming Thursday. However, in our lectionary we celebrate the ascension today.  It states in Acts that 40 days have passed since the resurrection of Jesus. Interestingly the number 40 comes up often in the Bible. Forty days could represent a literal 40 days, but in Scripture it also symbolizes times of trouble and hardship and overcoming adversity. Whenever God’s people are confronted with challenge it is reflected in the number 40. For example, the story of Noah and the rain for 40 days and 40 nights. After Moses killed an Egyptian he spent 40 years in the desert. The Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. Jesus, of course, was tempted for 40 days by the devil. All of these symbolize overcoming a great difficulty or challenge. Spending days in meditation, isolation, self-discovery, prayer, and most importantly working through this turmoil with God.  It is not so much about a literal 40 days but rather what the number 40 has come to represent. So, it is interesting that there were 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension since 40 is a symbol of hardship.  It is hard for me to say that there were days of turmoil for the disciples following the resurrection. The Scriptures certainly do not discuss any moment between Jesus and the disciples in those 40 days that required deep prayer or involved major conflict. You would think those 40 days would be the happiest days in the disciples’ lives. The man they thought was dead, was alive! But therein lies the problem, imagine trying to explain the Easter story to others, imagine trying to articulate what this means theologically or within the realities of faith. Imagine trying to convince others that the man they saw put to death was alive and well. Imagine trying to convince Jesus to stay, after all death had been defeated and the disciples knew they would be more confident with Jesus around. It was a time of fear, of doubt, of confusion, of frustration and likely a feeling of abandonment.

Nevertheless, the 40 days have passed and it is time for Jesus to ascend to heaven. He worships with them, breaks bread with them, and states that they will soon receive the Holy Spirit, which we know will happen another 10 days later at Pentecost. Jesus is leaving them with assurances that they will not be abandoned.  In Matthew’s version of the ascension Jesus’ final words are, “And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.” Jesus is stating that no matter how far, or how high up, or how great the distance, they will be connected to him through the Spirit. And that God does not watch from a distance but is ever present.

While there must have been some difficulty in saying a final goodbye the disciples do indeed worship and return great joy at this event. This is because the disciples understood that Jesus had ascended to heaven to be with God, the Father, and that was good news because they also knew that they were connected to Jesus.  And that being connected, eternally, to Jesus, gave them the confidence of faith to face these challenges without Jesus constantly in view. They could trust God because they knew Jesus.  The disciples could now bring about the church, the body of Christ at work in the world, with the help of the Holy Spirit. In both Luke’s Gospel and Luke’s version in Acts Jesus commissions them as witnesses. God has not abandoned them but rather has bestowed upon them a vocation filled with promises of grace and mercy and the Spirit.

So, what happens, when in the midst of natural disasters, terrorism, hatred, violence, or in the midst of personal struggle, grief, loneliness, confusion or pain, we begin to feel abandoned? What happens when the church, this Body of Christ, experiences conflict and division? What happens when we feel that the church has abandoned us?  We need to hear Jesus’ promise again. That the same Jesus who welcomed little children, the same Lord who healed the lepers or cured the hemorrhaging women, the same Christ who offered himself on the cross now sits with God and rules over all creation as the head of the church, and Jesus can be trusted. God has gone up but God has not been abandoned. It also explains why the disciples seem so happy to return to Jerusalem. They joyfully accepted Jesus’ mission to take the news of his resurrection into all the world. It is a privilege for them to represent God in the world because they knew they were connected to God.

Just think of that privilege, because it is passed down to us too and so is that connection, that direct line to God. God is not watching us from a distance through rose coloured glasses or distorted lenses. God is with us when we experience that sense of abandonment. God is with us when God’s name is used in vain for violence. God is with us when natural disasters destroy communities. God is with us when we are experiencing physical pain, spiritual lethargy, and emotional distress. Jesus knows what it feels like to suffer, and thankfully, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father, ruling with compassion. And we, his subjects, have the great honour and privilege of joyfully worshipping and witnessing to all these things. Amen.

Bible Text: Acts 11: 1-18 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Change can be hard. There are few cliches that are so true. “Changes”, however, is one of the most catchy of David Bowie’s songs. The song emphasizes the fact that Bowie had an incredible ability to adapt to change- particularly in his artistic career. This is rather interesting, since Changes is also considered Bowie’s official North American debut. It is a song about defying all those critics and being who you feel you were meant to be- at that particular moment. It also related to his family life in that he and his then wife were about to experience change with the birth of their first child. The song created a new trend in music as it was one of the first pop songs to include a stutter which would then inspire My Generation and Bennie and the Jets. This song actually changed David Bowie’s career too, in that it was supposed to be a parody of the ditties in nightclubs but as fans began to enjoy it, they began to chat for it, and Bowie had to put it into his live performance rotation. It was the last song that Bowie performed upon his retirement from live performances in 2006. And of course, as a Bowie fan, I mourned the change that took place on Jan 10th of this year upon his death. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes/ Turn and face the strange/ Ch-ch-changes/ Don’t want to be a richer man/ Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes / Turn and face the strange/ Ch-ch-changes/ Just gonna have to be a different man /Time may change me/ But I can’t trace time. Change can be hard.
Change can be particularly hard when it involves faith and faith practice. In fact, change can not only be challenging but challenged and that is exactly what happens to Peter as he makes some major changes to some major laws within the practices of the early church. But before we being I want to point out this is not a story about the irrelevance of kosher laws. Rather it is a story about the importance of contextualizing the gospel, and the need for us to see the saving activity of God in all kinds of cultural contexts, contexts that can even be new, unfamiliar and vastly different from our own.
The reading we hear this morning is actually a synopsis of events that took place in the previous chapter. Acts 10 is the thorough details of the event in question. There are few stories in Scripture that take so many chapters to explain. That’s how massive this change was and how problematic it could have been for the early church. Most of Jesus’ actions or parables did not require such defences or explanations. So, it is important for us to touch upon the actual events so that we can tackle the synopsis.
Acts 10 begins by introducing a gentile named Cornelius, who happens to be a centurion of the Italian Cohort. It is unclear exactly how this man became a devouted man who feared God but we know that he has not been baptized and this is in part due to the current practices within the early church. He might have been unique or there might have been many like him who had heard about God, Jesus, and the Spirit and believed, but at this stage they cannot become fully engaged in the community of faith because, they are not Jewish. They do not follow the same holiness code and purity laws and they are not circumcised. At the same time Peter comes to town and while getting a bit hungry has a vision in which Peter is invited to eat some unclean meat. While at first he resists God clearly states, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Clearly, a symbol of the changing and expanding rule of God. Thanks to this vision Peter is then able to go to the house of Cornelius and the Spirit is clearly present and the Gospel is rightly preached and all of a sudden the entire household is baptized regardless of their genealogy.
Word gets out that Peter, who has followed strict kosher laws since his birth, is not only eating with gentiles but consuming unclean meat. Then on top of that, he has baptized uncircumcised believers. When the apostles hear this news in Jerusalem they think that Peter has fallen off his rocker, it is one thing to preach the Gospel to gentiles but it is entirely another thing to eat with them and certainly a departure from the strong traditions of his faith to baptize the uncircumcised. We must remember that Jewish laws and practices were rooted within the early church as all the first believers were Jews. The focus on Jewish practices is still strong within the first half of the book of Acts and of course the Gospel was first interpreted within the larger context of Judaism. Even the story of Pentecost, the story celebrated as the birth of the church, happened in Jerusalem to Jewish followers.
This story in both chapters 10 and 11 changes everything. Luke wrote his Gospel to a gentile named Theophilus, which means “friend of God” in Greek, so that Theophilus may know the truth concerning Jesus. The book of Acts is the second letter to Theophilus and while, of course, it concerns the truth about Jesus it is also about the new role of the Holy Spirit. This story of Cornelius and Peter’s change of practice are Luke’s way of forcing the early church to come to grips with the limitations of their own ethnicity and cultural context in proclaiming a universal gospel. What stands out most to me is the clear question that Peter asks, “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” What a great question. When people come to us and tell us that they feel called by God to participate in ministry, leadership in the church, follow a certain passion, take on a particular project within the church, who are we to hinder? No matter how deeply rooted our traditions, our doctrine, our laws, God is so much more. And sometimes the Spirit inspires change.
We love our traditions and there is always a time and place for them. Humanity is good at creating categories and establishing boundaries. We like to make distinctions between us and them. But Peter clearly interprets his vision to say that traditions can sometimes create separations, that cultural behaviour can prove to deter the spreading of the Gospel, that our contexts can hinder God, and that these divisions like that do not exist in God’s realm. Mitzi Smith, early Christianity scholar points out, “Even as God corrects our faulty theological anthropology, it takes time to undue years of putting tradition above God…We need to allow our biases and stereotypes to be checked. It is imperative that we engage with others different from ourselves, in more than superficial ways. And most of the time it will not happen when “us” keeps our distance from “them.”…God’s spirit will work despite, through, or prior to our ritual constructions. This is comforting knowing how often we get things wrong and how often we persist in making distinctions.”
Our national church is facing change, change due to demographics, change due to religious commitment or lack there of, change due to economics, change due to the multiculturalism in our society, change due to questions about inclusivity and sexuality, change due to welcoming refugees, time may change us and we can’t trace time, but the church changes because that’s what the church does. The Spirit guides that change and thank God! For without that change we would not be here today. Amen

Bible Text: John 10: 22-30 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Most cat owners will tell you that while you might be the owner-the cat could often care less. What I mean is, unlike dogs, cats are willing to live rather independent lives from their owners. It matters little to them who cleans the litter box or puts food in the bowl so long as it is done. You might think I’m wrong, but a 2013 study by the University of Tokyo published in the academic journal entitled “Animal Cognition” discovered that cats are able to recognize their owner’s voice but they choose to ignore them. I am not making this up. Now, I don’t need to spend a lot of time or money figuring that out with our two cats but researchers tested cats by waiting until their owner was out of sight and then played recordings of three strangers calling the cats name, follower by the owners voices, followed by another stranger. The researchers then analyzed the cats’ responses which included things like ear twitches, tail movement, eye dilation. When hearing their names being called the cats displayed that they understood it was a call for them and they reacted more when it was their owners voice. But they did not seek out to follow or find that voice. The study actually goes on to state that the reasons for this are rooted in the evolutionary development of the cat. Turns out that cats have been domesticated for 9,000 years but it was actually the cats who domesticated themselves as humans became more sedentary the cats moved into the grain fields to catch rodents. So, rather than the humans adopting them as pets for pest control, the cats adopted the humans to make sure their basic needs were met. This makes a lot of sense to me since indeed my cat Charlie adopted me well before I adopted him. But I bet there would be some debate in our house about whether the cats can determine who their owner is, especially which one of us gives them treats, and whether they are intentionally ignoring us or not.
Sometimes people have very distinctive voices and it is easy to recognize them. I’m thinking voices like Morgan Freeman, Jimmy Stewart, or Sean Connery. Sometimes it can be rather difficult, especially distinguishing between Father and Son or Siblings. Sometimes people are loud talkers, like yours truly, and so are often heard over the hum of a crowd, sometimes there are soft voices that should be heard. In fact, often what we hear and what is said can be different. This seems to be the case for Jesus in our Gospel reading this morning.
It is the time of the festival of Dedication, which as I mentioned is actually translated to the celebration of Hanukah, which celebrates the re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE, following a successful revolt led by four brothers named Maccabees. While it was nothing like the modern celebrations the festival of dedication was a large gathering within Jerusalem, where Jesus is currently preaching and teaching. In fact Jesus is at the temple, preaching on the eastern side of the temple’s outer court, which is where the portico of Solomon was located. I began to wonder why it was relevant for the Gospel author to include little details like that, why mention the time of year or the detailed location. There is a juxtaposition of Jesus preaching during a season that celebrates trust in God. It is also important to point out that Jesus is not only preaching and teaching in Synagogues in the outlying areas but is in THE temple, preaching at important celebrations, that do indeed celebrate God’s presence with the people during difficult times and encourages people to re-commit themselves to the practices of faith. Despite this authority entrusted to Jesus, there is some division among the people about who Jesus really is, what gives him the authority to be there at that time? And so they blurt out, “How long are you going to keep us guessing? Are you the Messiah or not?”
The thing is that Jesus has already told them and they’re still debating, so what’s the point of telling them again? They will choose to ignore the answer- again. In the verses preceding our lesson, Jesus had related himself as the gate for the sheep and as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep- intentionally using metaphors that refer to Jesus as the way to salvation. Jesus feels he has given these followers enough details for them to come to this conclusion on their own. Not to mention that he has also said he is the light to the world, the bread from heaven and, oh yeah, that he is going to die because he is the Messiah. Or the fact that he has performed miracles that only someone with a direct line to God could perform. None of that seems to matter as Jesus states that it he has not only told them with his words but showed them with his actions. In fact, everything he has said or done has been to the glory of God and in his Father’s name. But, like so many, they just refuse to believe and therefore can’t or won’t hear or see who Jesus really is. Perhaps, they aren’t quite ready to believe it or they aren’t willing to believe it and therefore are unable to truly know who Jesus is.
There is, however, something rather interesting that Jesus says. He says, “but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” How do we determine who belongs as a one of those sheep? It all depends on God’s initiative, not ours. It is God who reveals Christ to those eyes that are open, it is God who opens the ears of those who wish to follow, it is God who gives us that voice recognition. The fact that God is portrayed here as the one in control of Jesus’ flock may raise some difficult questions. And how difficult it is to hear over all that other noise.
Elisabeth Johnson, a missionary in Cameroon, says, “there are many voices that tell us how to grow closer to God: by having a prescribed religious experience, by believing in the correct doctrine, by reaching a higher level of knowledge or higher level of morality. By contrast the Good Shepherd tells us that everything depends on belonging to him.” How true it is. It is not up to us to determine God’s doctrine, it is not up to us to determine what kind of experiences one has to have, it is not up to us to determine who belongs and who does not. All of that is placed simply in the hands of our shepherd. Perhaps this is cause for concern in that it means we may have it all wrong. But I like to point out that we are not talking about just any shepherd but the Good Shepherd. For goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives. The promise in this reading is in the deep assurance of the unity of Jesus with the will, heart and purposes of God. In the midst of this hostility in which people are unable to hear his voice, Jesus gives words of comfort to his flock, “No one will snatch them out of my hand.” We have eternal well-being as sheep with the Good Shepherd to guide us.
The good shepherd liberates us from those kinds of concerns. What a relief to know that our status in God’s presence is not dependent on a prescribed doctrine, or based on how we feel, or experiencing the right religion, and even more to the point thank goodness it is not determined on our works. It depends on one thing and one thing alone, that we are known, by name, by the good shepherd, by the grace of God.
The trick is of course, how many times do we hear that voice, maybe even recognize that voice, but choose to ignore it. We are no better than our household cats if all we do is twitch our ears. I know, that I can shut down, and close my ears off to hearing something important, especially when faced with challenge. But in following the Good Shepherd we need to be reminded that Jesus grants us liberation and peace. No matter how dark the valley, we have a guide walking in front of us, walking behind us, walking with us and talking to us everywhere we go. Amen

Bible Text: Acts 9:1—20 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

There once was a little town on the east coast of Vancouver Island where fishing, mining and forestry were the major industries. Well, what the actual town website says is that it is “a little town snuggled in between a mountain range and the ocean…a town that was born on the hands of labourers.” Eventually, however, the fish started to deplete, the mines were no longer economical and the forestry industry began to decline. It looked like this little town would become like many former industry towns…rather ghostly. The direction, the way they were headed would mean closing up shop and people moving on. But this little town decided instead of giving up and packing up it needed to re-invent itself, it needed to change direction, and the chamber of commerce, with substantial help from one of local lumber barons, began to dream about revitalization. They envisioned giant outdoor murals. Why not? Victoria was the city of gardens, Duncan was the city of totems, the Comox Valley was the Land of plenty, why not be the town with world famous murals. Turns out that murals weren’t enough to turn things around so they decided to have a world class theatre. While the fishermen, miners and loggers still inhabit the area, this little town has gone through quite the conversion, much of it’s identity has changed. Which is rather interesting since in the Hulquminum language, the aboriginal group who call this area home, the word Chemainus or Tsa-meeun-is, means bitter breast and is a possible reference to transformation marks that take place during a shamanic frenzy, which the horseshoe shaped bay where Chemainus sits is thought to resemble.
Today we heard one of the greatest transformation and conversion stories in the entire Scriptures. It should be important for us to recognize that this is more than just a conversion but also a calling story. Saul’s experience on the road changes so much from his vocation to his name, all of which represent a change in identity. The first time we encounter Saul in Scripture is actually a few chapters earlier than this morning’s passage. Luke, (as mentioned is the author of Acts) states that it is Saul who approved the killing of Stephen, one of the first martyrs of the faith. We then hear that a day of severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem. Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, to commit them to prison (Acts 8:1-3). We know the plot, we know what is going to happen to Saul, but what we often forget is just how devastating Saul’s actions were to the early church. It makes the conversion all that much more intense and dramatic. The story of Saul reminds me that no matter how set in our ways we may seem, God is always willing to shape us and change us. Essentially, there is always hope and room to improve.
When we encounter Saul in our reading this morning he is still causing a raucous- threatening murder against the followers of Jesus. You might have caught something in the reading that Sheila gave. These followers are not called Christians but rather people who belonged to The Way. It will not be for a little while yet, when the disciples and followers have been worshipping in Antioch for a year, that the term Christian will first be used. Interesting that Saul has his transformation while on the road about to arrest followers of The Way. This is a great image for both Saul and the narrative but also for Christians. New Testament professor, Eric Barreto states, ““The Way” is a powerful metaphor for Christian identity. Instead of being identified by a set of beliefs, these early faithful communities were known by their character in the world. Christian faith was a way of life and one that impelled individuals and communities to leave the safe confines of home and synagogue to walk on the road God had set out. “The Way” suggests that faith is a living, active way of life.” And as Saul teaches us sometimes The Way involves u-turns and roundabouts and even collisions.
Saul is heading to Damascus with letters approved by the High Priest in Jerusalem allowing him to arrest and drag these followers bound back to Jerusalem. As the crow flies the distance is 218km. But if we were to take this journey today, according to google maps it would take us 2, 644 km and 41hrs by car. It would involve going in the opposite direction to Egypt, crossing a ferry into Saudi Arabia, crossing the border in Iraq and then into Syria. Damascus is the capital of Syria and certainly as the Civil War continues it is in desperate need of prayer. In fact, I would argue, there are many who could benefit from a “Road To Damascus” style transformation. In fact, just last week 30 people, including 12 children, were killed during an air-strike attack in a suburb of Damascus. It is a city where indeed many people are fleeing in the hopes to find a new direction, a new place to call home.
Now sure, we are talking about modern times and certainly the political and cultural landscapes were quite different for Saul. But still for Saul, who walked or rode an animal, this was not a short trek. He has likely travelled most of those km brooding and plotting the entire about getting those followers of The Way. Then perhaps in the last 5km, a light from heaven flashes around him and as he falls to the ground to protect himself he hears the voice of Christ, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Jesus does not ask, why are you persecuting my followers? Why are you persecuting my disciples? Why are you persecuting people of The Way? Jesus asks why are persecuting me? What this tells me is that whenever a person who follows Christ is abused, martyred, criticized, Jesus is present in that very moment. Jesus is true to his word that he is with the oppressed, the marginalized, the refugees, the downtrodden, the rejected, for whatever we say or do to any of the least of them we are saying and doing it to Christ himself. Jesus then gives Saul a directive- get up and go into the city and there you will find further instructions. The story then switches to Ananias, who is a disciple of The Way.
I can appreciate Ananias’ response to God’s request. God not only asks Ananias to assist Saul but to go and heal Saul. But Ananias knows the name Saul of Tarsus, he knows that Saul has come to town to arrest people like him. Ananias knows that Saul even has the authority to drag him back to Jerusalem. Just being next to Saul could mean death! So, of course Ananias is fearful about dropping in for a visit- his life is at stake. But I also imagine that Ananias doesn’t want to help Saul, after all Saul has killed, arrested, abused many of Ananias’ friends. Would you help, even heal someone, who had brutally murdered a fellow Christian? Would you heal their hurtedness? Would you give them a place to stay? I think as much as this is a conversion story for Saul it is also a conversion story for Ananias. He has to rid himself of fear about getting involved with this man, and be a true follower of The Way.
Thankfully God is unrelenting and tells Ananias just how vital Saul will be to the cause, “He is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before the Gentiles.” The Gospel story will not only include this former murderer of disciples but will also include the adoption of the entire human race. The Gospel message will be shared through Saul- whose conversion will necessitate the name change to Paul- and will expand to include all peoples.
Being followers of The Way means we are constantly being shaped by God, being transformed into the people God wishes us to be. Sometimes those transformations might include flashes of light and definitely fear and trepidation- maybe even tragedy. But most often than not they are a constant nudging telling us to get out of our comfort zone and help those in need- even if they are our enemies. We can likely identify with Ananias a little better- sometimes we don’t want to help those who are different from us and yet, we never know how our healing hands, kind actions or compassionate words, can be the life changing difference in someone’s life. Because if God can change us, then God can certainly change anyone. Amen

Bible Text: Luke 24:1-12 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

There is a New York City improv group called, “Improv Everywhere”. It was created by Charlie Todd in 2001 and since then they have performed over 100 special mission projects throughout the New York area. They “perform” a unique kind of improv theatre in that they don’t have a stage and they often have over 1000 participants. While sometimes their missions involve some kind of gag, like a Candid Camera or Just For Laughs style gag, they often involve not just improvisation but also improved experiences. For example, in 2008 the group went to a Little League Baseball game with the mission of turning it into the feel of a major league baseball game, they memorized the bating order and had commentators a jumbo-tron and hired a good year blimp. The kids and parents were ecstatic. In 2009 they surprised a couple who were getting married at the city clerk’s office in Manhattan with a full on reception in the city park across the street. They basically took the first couple to come out of those doors and threw them a party. The couple, who could not afford a traditional reception, were overjoyed with gratitude. Recently, they delivered 20 pizzas to one random subway car and threw a pizza party. You can view most of their missions on their website. What I like about watching people’s reactions is that they are often overcome by glee. At first there is hesitation, a concern that something doesn’t seem quite right, even a suspicion that something is wrong. There is often confusion because this kind of thing doesn’t happen every day. But then shock changes to surprise and surprise changes to joy. People will break out in smiles at the joyful absurdity of it all. I love the reactions to these kind surprise moments. Totally unexpected, yet totally warranted, totally ridiculous, yet totally playful.

I wrote in the most recent pastoral letter, that Easter seems to have sneaked up on me this year. At first I was disappointed in myself. How could I let such an important story in our faith and practice catch me so unprepared- where did the time go? Of course, it is early this year but that’s no excuse. The celebration is based on a lunar calendar and always falls on the Sunday that follows the first full moon after Spring Equinox so I shouldn’t be surprised. Lent always lasts 40 days, excluding the Sundays, and this year is no different. There is no reason for me to be caught off guard. But then I realized that being surprised at Easter was rather biblical and perhaps we should be reminded that at the first ever Easter there was surprise and shock, absurdity, and eventually joy. Of course it didn’t start out that way. It started out like any other day when someone is grieving. The women had planned on laying aromatic herbs and oils around the tomb- as was the practice at the time. Perhaps Mary Magdalene even had some of that Nard oil she used to anoint Jesus’ feet the last time he came for a visit.

All four Gospels tell the resurrection story with some slight and some major differences. I certainly don’t see a problem with this in part because it is a strange and confusing story. Not only would rumours be out of control but the disbelief of it all is completely legitimate. The story just doesn’t make sense and so as the Gospel writers work hard at making sense of it all they are allowed to have differences. There are three important details that all four gospels have in common, (1) that the tomb was empty, (2) that it was discovered on Sunday morning and (3) that Mary Magdalene was at the tomb.

In Luke’s version there are at least five women present. Three are named, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women. Because women is in the plural we know there was at least two more- hence the no less than five women. And these five or more women are definitely shocked, surprised and overcome with joy. While the NRSV states that the women were perplexed, Petersen’s the Message says, “They were puzzled, wandering what to make of this [empty tomb]. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, with light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery?” Then [the women] remembered Jesus’ words.”

Luke, more than any of the other gospels includes women in many of the stories- be they present at certain teachings, be it that Jesus visits them regularly or that they are also part of his following. Clearly these women were with Jesus when he told the disciples about his death and resurrection, which by the way happens fairly early in Jesus’ ministry. In Luke it happens as early as chapter 9. Which means these women- who are shocked and surprised at the empty tomb- were among his early followers. As a result, while the women are surprised by the empty tomb, surprised by these dazzling men, surprised by the words expressed, the women still come around to making sense of it all. They remember what Jesus had said, they believed, and they leave to tell the disciples. It doesn’t take the women long to work through the emotions of shock, surprise, and joy.

If these women travelled with the disciples for a couple of years, as this passage would suggest, then it really should surprise us that the disciples don’t take the women seriously. “They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest…kept telling these things to the apostles, but the apostles didn’t believe a word of it, thought they were making it all up.” The NRSV says, these words seemed to the disciples an idle tale. The Greek is Leros hremata which is literally translated as “foolish talk”. The idea that Jesus has been raised from the dead is so absurd- that the disciples, Jesus’ most intimate friends- can’t or won’t believe it. St. Augustine said in a sermon, “Truth became like an idle tale.” The truth can be shocking, surprising and joy-filled.

Only Peter gets up to run and even as he peeks into the empty tomb he leaves home amazed but still asking, “What does it mean?” At this point in our text Peter is still unable to say that he believes. Amazed yes, but it does not say he believed as it does with the women. That will come later on in the evening when Jesus appears in physical form to the remaining eleven disciples. My guess is that it was just too shocking for them to understand. New Testament Scholar Dr. Hultgren says, “Easter is perplexing, and to believe in the resurrection is not easy. The women who come to the tomb are perplexed from the beginning…Only later on the apostles come to faith and that is after Jesus appears to them. To believe in the resurrection of Jesus takes a lot of faith and courage.”

Some Easters we might be more prepared, knowing the story and having time to go through the proper motions and preparations. Some Easters we may be so saddened by what is happening in the world that we prefer to remain the dark tomb rather than step into the light of salvation. Some Easters we might be more like the women at the tomb- while we are shocked it eventually leads to joy and some Easters we might be more like the disciples- not willing to believe based on words alone, taking it as an idle tale, until we experience it ourselves. Belief in the Easter story takes commitment. Perhaps that is the most surprising aspect of this story. We can not simply be capable of believing but we must also commit- commit to love and reconciliation, commit to time and money spent in and on this community, commit to lifting up the outcast and letting the last be the first, commit to telling the story of the resurrection regardless of whether someone calls it an idle tale or not. Yes, we can be shocked, yes we can be surprised, but eventually that overwhelming joy leaves us with no other choice but to live as people of faith. Amen

Bible Text: Luke 19: 28-40 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

For as long as humanity has been writing songs and for as long as people have disagreed with one another there have been protest songs. Sometimes those songs are timeless and speak to the human condition and sometimes they speak to a specific moment in history. Sometimes the songs receive protests in return. I can remember when Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A Changing”, which was initially written as an anthem for change in 1964 was later used in an 1994 ad for an accounting firm and followed by a commercial for the Bank of Montreal. For various reasons the 1960s was the golden age of protest songs, I know you likely know that better than I. One such song was Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son”. It was one of the many protest songs that were a little more subtle than others. Writer John Fogerty served in the American Reserves during the Vietnam war and was drafted like so many young men at that time and while the song does not explicitly touch upon war it does deal with how he saw the American elite and their children- who were not being sent off to war- and how we can been distracted by celebrity culture rather than addressing real issues. It also had to do with the timely wedding of David Eisenhower (grandson of President Eisenhower) to Julie Nixon (daughter of President Nixon). It apparently took him only 20 minutes to write. The chorus is pretty simple, “It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, son. It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, no.” I’m no John Fogerty and I’m not going to use the pulpit to talk politics but I will say that we need to be praying for our brothers and sisters in the United States as they deal with some difficult and distracting politics. Interestingly enough, today is all about a fortunate or perhaps unfortunate son and the politics of palm Sunday. Jesus’ behaviour was a rather major protest and very revolutionary. The crowd’s words are meant to be in direct opposition of the political party in power at the time. This is one big protest followed by song.

While Passover may not have been the biggest festival within the Jewish tradition at the time, if one could make and afford the journey one would make every effort to spend passover in Jerusalem. It was also, however, the most political and volatile of all the Jewish festivals. This is in part because of what it represents. The Passover festival celebrates the liberation of the Hebrews from the oppressive rule of the Egyptian pharaoh. The festival celebrates that lamb’s blood painted on the doorpost saved them from the death that killed all first born males within Egypt. The festival celebrates that they were finally allowed to go free and begin the exodus journey to the Holy lands- what would eventually become Jerusalem. The festival not only celebrates that God was with the Israelite people but also that the Israelite people were free-no longer living under oppression. But during Jesus’ day they are not living as free people. They are under the rule of the Roman Empire. They are living as subjects of the misnamed Pax Romana. While the passover festival celebrates the diving act of liberation for the Hebrew people from the rule of Pharaoh there is the heavy shadow of the Roman emperor and empire looming about the festivities. It is the reason why Pontius Pilate is also in Jerusalem at the same time as Jesus. He and his soldiers are there to make sure that Pax Romana is maintained. They are there to observe and make sure there is no uprising.

The sad timeless truth is that crowds can be dangerous. There is no doubt that the mob mentality exists and the Romans are concerned that this many Hebrews in Jerusalem over passover could cause problems. In fact, a Roman magistrate around that time, Pliny the Younger , wrote, “When people gather together for a common purpose—whatever name we may give them and whatever function we may assign them– they soon become political groups.” Meaning, that given enough time factions will establish and ideologies will create political divisions. This is a very real concern over this passover festival.

We know that Jesus heads to Jerusalem because he knows that it is in Jerusalem where he must be crucified. A month ago we touched upon Jesus’ comment that, “He must be on his way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem. (Luke 13: 33)” An unfortunate son indeed. So Jesus is very aware of what is going to happen. But Jesus must also knows that his presence is going to cause a political shift and certainly Jesus plays into this reality by his actions. While it may seem harmless, or it may not appear to mean much- Jesus riding in on a colt (as described in Luke’s version), and having people throw their cloaks on the road while they rejoice and call Jesus, King. This is making a pretty big statement to the Roman empire. Theologian and historian Robert Cornwall says, “If you read the story closely it does appear that Jesus was trying to trigger a reaction from the crowd streaming into Jerusalem. It’s not like he didn’t know what was going to occur when he decided to ride a colt into Jerusalem. It is a rather apocalyptic moment that draws upon biblical imagery and unsettled political conditions… Many within the religious leadership in Jerusalem would have also been aware of the effects of provocative actions. It was in their best interest to keep things under control, especially when this was one of the biggest pilgrimage events of the year.”

Jesus riding in on a colt or donkey is a direct reflection of Zechariah 9:9 in which it states, “Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” It is in this very moment as Jesus enters the city that we realize he has chosen to take on his role as King- as sitting at the right hand of the Father, as the Messiah. Zechariah was writing during the post-exilic period of history. The Israelites had returned from exile and were awaiting the re-installation of the monarchy. Jesus is personifying this image by choosing to enter the city in this way.

But this is not your average protest march. While Luke is the only one to describe Jesus riding on a colt, rather than a donkey, the image implies the same. That although this is called a triumphant entry into Jerusalem it is also a humble one. Instead of Jesus riding in on a great stag- as likely many of the Roman soldiers had at their disposal. Jesus not only rides a colt but a borrowed colt. Jesus is definitely different. He enters the city not with a large fanfare but with humility and people in the crowd notice this imagery and begin to sing their songs of praise.

We already know that Jesus is different. This is a peace and peaceful protest. But Jesus is not only different in the way he enters the city but also in the way he leaves. Jesus humbles himself and is obedient to God until the very end. Christ lays aside his divine nature and even before the passion story begins Jesus removes his dignity and rides a colt. His dignity will be stripped from him and his friends will foresake him and his body will be broken in the coming week. This is a significantly different kind of protest- God came to us in Jesus and died on our account with humility and love. My social justice side tells me that this is a march I can join. This is a political action I can say we need to get involved in. We need to join the crowds that welcomed Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. We need to join the chorus of disciples that said, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven.” We need to offer our lives to him in service and praise. While Jesus is the unfortunate one to be heading to the cross we are the fortunate ones, the fortunate sons and daughters who have inherited the grace of God! Hosanna in the highest! Amen

Bible Text: John 12:1-8 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Someone recently said to me that the smell of white jasmine blooming is for them, always a smell that reminds them spring is just around the corner. Within the same conversation I recalled that the smell of lavender makes me think of summer. They say that one’s sense of smell or the olfactory is the one sense tied mostly to memory because the olfactory bulb is part of the brain’s limbic system- a part of the brain that is closely linked to one’s emotions. I have often wondered about our sense of smell because, out of no nowhere I can be drawn back into a childhood memory just because a particular aroma- the smell of baked bread reminds me of coming home from school, the smell of thrills gum, or soap for that matter, reminds me of my grandma, the smell of old spice reminds me of my Sunday School teacher, and the smell of grilling tilapia will reminded me of meals beside the Nile River. Apparently one’s sense of smell is developed even before we’re born- research shows that a baby in the womb who is exposed to garlic will prefer the smell of garlic over those who are not. I was not. Both the sense of smell and emotions are closely linked in the Gospel story this morning.

Jesus is enjoying a visit with close family friends. Perhaps he was coming to check up on Lazarus-making sure he was living his recently revived life to the fullest. Perhaps he was checking up on Martha, in the hopes that she had found a way to relax, found a way to take time for herself. Or perhaps he wanted to introduce his disciples to the woman who has been so engaged in his teachings, the one person who seems to get what he’s saying. Just as everyone is getting settled Mary comes in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils.

The NRSV says that it was a perfume made of pure nard. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what pure nard was and had to look it up. Nard is a flowering plant related to the Valerian family.  I know what valerian smells like and trust me it is not something I would have described as a pleasant smell. But it turns out that the ancient Greeks called Lavender naardus and that’s a smell I can enjoy. In the ancient Middle East nard oil was used to anoint the deceased as they were prepared for burial.

Mary’s anointing is a prophetic act- whether she knew it or not remains to be seen. Jesus reads into the situation pretty clearly and when Judas reacts with such disgust, Jesus says, “Let her alone. She’s anticipating and honouring the day of my burial.” Anointing with oil or perfume did have many purposes during the New Testament era. There are numerous Biblical examples of kings, priests, leaders being anointed for a specific purpose. As many of you know the word, “Messiah” means “the anointed one” in Hebrew. The sick were anointed as a ritual of healing. Perhaps Mary was trying to calm Jesus’ nerves. Mary could have meant any of these possibilities. But her behaviour means something pretty clear to Jesus, John and the reader.

Judas’ behaviour and comments add an additional layer to our understanding. Judas is a contradictory character. He is one of Jesus’ disciples but he is about to betray him. Judas’ concern for the poor is merely a ruse to cover his own greed. Although he is portrayed as a bit of a hypocrite in this passage, I can kind of relate to him. Sometimes our words and our actions struggle to mean the same thing. But I have always been a bit intrigued about Judas. I’m always surprised that Judas stayed with the disciples until the last supper. And there are a few versions of how Judas was conflicted by his betrayal days after Jesus’ death. But Judas also demonstrates that true loyalty and honesty are not prerequisites for discipleship. Basically all of us disciples have our Judas moments- but that doesn’t mean Jesus rejects us or tells us to leave the group. As we welcome new members today I want us to be reminded of that- that we vow to be disciples in this church together but sometimes we are more like Judas than Peter. Even in this passage Judas is being prophetic in his words- by betraying the common funds we know he is setting himself up for greater betrayal.

Mary demonstrates that it is not belief IN Jesus that matters most but faithful action. This might seem contrary to Protestant understanding of “By faith alone” Mary’s actions do not dispute this but rather demonstrate how faith is not just a doctrinal understanding of Jesus but rather faith is active not passive. And that sometimes our actions demonstrate a deeper faith than we even know. John does a lot to explain this scene but he does not tell us what Mary believes, and it seems beyond sound reason that she could understand all that will happen to Jesus, and all that her actions evoke. Yet, we see her enact a faith that resonates deeply with who Jesus is and what our faith implies. Mary’s actions in a simple house in Bethany transforms it into a sanctuary, a place of worship to God and for Christ.

We have everyday simple actions that can be generous- can be worth more than any statement of belief. Our actions are like a fragrant oil that can invoke deep emotions. Remember that as we celebrate the life and ministry of this church in our AGM. Our actions are like a fragrant oil that can invoke deep emotions that can spread throughout the entire household of God. Amen

Bible Text: Luke 15: 11-32 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

As the truck pulled up to the SP Geddes School in Osiri at Kamin Oningo Beach Community in Kenya we were greeted by 200 students singing an adorable welcome song to us. Children ages 3-10 were singing over and over again, “Welcome, Welcome, Our Visitors. Happy to see you. Happy to see you. Welcome, Welcome, our visitors!” Knowing the connection that my Uncle John had had over the years with this community and knowing that this school was named after my Grandpa Stewart Porterfield Geddes I couldn’t help but well up and feel like I was being welcomed home. It seemed to me that just as I was excited to meet these students so the students were excited to meet us. Across a set of eaves- on a building that CanAssist Africa had built- the school had written, “Thanks to SP Geddes. In our hearts he lives!” It was a great privilege to also share a meal with these students. It was a simple mixture of smoked beans, rice and chipati. It is a meal that the students receive every day and while the school wanted to serve their visitors a large meal we insisted that we’d rather eat what the students have on a regular basis than have them break their minimal budget just to feed us. It was delicious and I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to come together with these students over a meal. An interesting addition is that at all the schools any kind of ceremony began with a prayer and sometimes one of the minister’s in our group, my father or I was asked to give the blessing. It was like coming together as a family and I know my Grandfather was certainly in all of our hearts that day and I know that God was also present and honoured. I don’t have to tell this church how important it is to eat together.

In Jesus’ day, what you ate and whom you ate it with were critical matters. For the Jewish community, eating together was literally a religious experience. To eat together was to celebrate one’s faith, worship God, and follow a certain ritual. Along with being careful about what foods you ate and when, cleanliness was paramount. One had to have clean food, clean dishes, clean hands and a clean heart. Barbara Brown Taylor describes a Jewish meal as “a worship service in which believers honoured God by sanctifying the most ordinary details of their lives.” In a world where grabbing a quick bite to eat at the fastest food restaurant is normal, thinking about eating as a way to honour God is difficult. But it really explains what was going on in our passage this morning.

Chapter 15 actually begins, “Men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus. The Pharisees and religious scholars were not pleased, “can you believe he eats with them?! Disgusting!” It is this comment that inspires the following parables about the lost being found, particularly the best known parable of the prodigal son. Jesus offended a lot of people because he shared a meal with some pretty sketchy people. He thought nothing of sitting down with filthy people, people who didn’t follow the same rules, people who probably ate things that were unthinkable, people who probably didn’t have dishes to clean, people whose hearts and practices were less than respectable. When the Pharisees and others saw him doing this they could only assume one thing. He had lost his sense of what it meant to worship God. 

As a result the parable of the prodigal son is framed by this comment. While it is this criticism that sparks all of the “lost” parables, it is the parable of the lost son that deals with the issue of eating with sinners. It may seem as though who one eats with is irrelevant to the story but by telling this parable Jesus challenges the norm, making the claim that God, welcomes sinners-in fact sets a table, a banquet table, for sinners. The prodigal son did a lot of things wrong, insulted a lot of people with his request, by his behaviour, and where he ended up. This wasn’t just a runaway story but a story that involves offence after offence and yet it is the celebratory meal upon his return that lends this parable to an important teaching moment.

When the son demands his inheritance he is basically saying, “Dad-I wish you were dead. You know what, better yet, I’m going to pretend you’re dead and move on with my life.” The son insults the family further when he creates a great distance between them. But it is when the son gets into some difficulty that we realize the serious nature of his experience.

We know that the person the son ends up working for is a gentile. How do we know that? Because he owns a pig farm. To raise pigs, live with pigs and eat pigs is to completely reject the Jewish kosher laws and for the Jewish community to reject the kosher laws is to reject God. This son has turned his back on his family, his culture and his God. To add insult to injury, the son is not only required to feed the pigs but live with them-live side by side- eating from their trough. Feeding pigs would be in itself bad enough, but to consider joining the pigs at the trough is to add degradation upon shame, far worse than eating with unclean people is eating with unclean animals.

Despite the desire to wish his father dead, despite the distance he created between him and his family, despite the most disgusting behaviour in the pig sty, the son realizes that he needs to go home. It would be better to be disowned by his father and treated as a hired hand then working where he is now. The parable chances pace. Instead of the focus being on the son’s disgrace it turns to the father’s warm embrace. Before the son can say anything, before the son can show any sign of remorse or repentance, the father approaches him with elation. The father has no idea why the son is coming down the road; he doesn’t even speculate about his son’s motives. He simply sees his son and runs to meet him with hugs and kisses. Three things a father in that day and age would not have done. A dignified man did not run, did not embrace and certainly did not kiss his son. But that is an important feature to this parable as well. The father does not act like a normal father- nor does God, our father.

Then father throws a party. Not just any party but a feast! We’re back to this discussion about food. Just as the party is getting underway the elder son approaches. We all must have sympathy for this elder son, the one who follows the rules, respects his elders and eats what he’s supposed to. Not only that, he is a hard worker. While the younger son was off gallivanting around the country side the elder son was working in the field. The elder son is even in the field when he comes toward the house and hears the music and dancing. It would appear that someone forgot to invite the elder son! No wonder his nose is out of joint , no wonder he gets frustrated and says “Dad, I’ve been working hard all these years and have never received such a celebration!”Many of us are that older son. We are the ones who are here Sunday after Sunday, we’re the ones who participate regularly in the life of the church, we’re the ones who work hard for little recognition.  But the father never ignores the needs of the older son. The father says, “Son, you misunderstand what’s going on. You’ve been with me all the time and everything that is mine is yours-but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate.” The father tries to bring harmony in the household and says, forget about the rules, forget about what has happened in the past, what matters most is that we are here together, sharing a meal together. Again I find Barbara Brown Taylor’s words helpful. This story is “about hanging out with the wrong people. It is about throwing parties for losers and asking winners to foot the bill. It is about giving up the idea that we can love God and despise each other. We simply cannot, no matter how wrong any of us has been. The only way to work out our relationship with God is to work out our relationship with each other.”

God has prepared a table for us. Jesus invites us to his table. We’re all on the guest list- those of us who have been here week after week, those of us who are here for the first time, those of us who have hit rock bottom and those of us who haven’t been for a very, very long time. Who will you invite to sit beside you?

 

Bible Text: Luke 13:1-9 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

We all know that a cliffhanger is a narrative device used to hook the reader into reading further, to find out what happens next. This tool has been used in literature as early as Homer’s poem The Odyssey and one of the most famous uses is in the tale of One Thousand and One Nights in which the Queen, who has been sentenced to death by her husband and is faced with a morning execution, extends her life by telling the King a story but leaves it a cliffhanger and thus the King postpones her execution to hear the rest of the story. It was, however, with the creation of serialized fiction that cliffhangers really became part of the common narrative. By the mid-nineteenth century newspapers were featuring novels which were published a chapter at a time every month. To ensure a dedicated fan base authors and editors would leave the chapters as cliffhangers. The Three Musketeers, Anna Karenina and The Bonfire of the Vanities were all written in that way. In fact, The Count of Monte Cristo was also a serial and appeared in 139 instalments, with cliffhangers nearly at the end of every chapter. One author said, “Make ’em cry, make ’em laugh, make ’em wait—exactly in that order.” With a change in media consumption cliffhangers have become a great tactic in television programs, be it to keep the viewer interested through the commercial break, think of any episode of star trek, of any generation, or until the next airing, of course the most well known being any soap opera. Even video streaming companies like Netflix and Crave have capitalized on cliffhangers, creating an entirely new way of watching something- by binging on a program, think of the series 24. Cliffhangers have been used since humans have been storytelling as a way to hook us. So, what do we do if it is Jesus who is the one giving us a cliffhanger.

I am, however, getting ahead of myself. In this portion of Luke’s gospel, Jesus also uses a narrative device that he often does not use. Jesus addresses current events. It begins with Jesus referencing two very different news stories that have clearly been affecting the people in the area. Both are rather gruesome and both are rather tragic but while these stories clearly are familiar to those listening in Jesus’ day, we readers, 2000 years later, have lost much of the details. Luke is the only source in history that provides any information of these two different but equally horrific events. And despite a desire to move past them it is necessary that we address them.

The first event is the awful mention of Pilate’s mingling of blood of Galileans who were presumably martyred. They were likely Galileans who were on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, something that many Jews did on a regular basis being that the temple in Jerusalem was vital to their expression of faith. While it does not state that Pilate is the one who sanctioned the violence, his behaviour, especially for a community of faith who practices purity laws, is unconscionable. It also gives us a fearful foretaste of who Jesus is dealing with when this Roman governor appears at Jesus’ trial. It seems that those who reported the news about Pilate’s behaviour assumed that it was a bit of a quid pro quo system, that those murdered got what they deserved. Jesus rejects this interpretation by comparing this news with the other event. The second event refers to the fall of a tower or wall on 18 seemingly innocent people. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. So one event is state led terror and the other is a random accident but both incidents saw people’s lives cut short rather quickly. While it is not explicitly stated as such, it appears that Jesus is answering the question, “why do bad things happen to good people?” That is, however, not where Jesus goes, rather these two horrific examples are supposed to lead us to realize that our existence is fragile, precarious and is a delicate balance. Jesus also states clearly that tragedy is not equal to divine punishment. That bad things happen not at God’s will but simply because bad things happen. The same could be true in the reverse- we should not see good fortune as an example of God’s blessing. We cannot evaluate the spiritual condition of others or ourselves because we, or they, do or do not suffer. Jesus reinforces something that we study over lent, our mortality, but also that humans need to look to God, not to themselves for the security of living even when life can be short-lived. I know it is a rather morose topic and trust me, understanding my mortality is already easily done, especially on a birthday, when one is one year older!

There is, nevertheless an important piece to note, that life’s vulnerability gives it, it’s urgency and it is here where we can turn to God in joy. This portion of Luke is warning us against false self-assurance or false self-accomplishment, a false sense of security. It is also giving us an opportunity to realize that in life’s vulnerability God has given us the opportunity to seize grace. This is evident in the following parable. Yes, this parable is a warning against fruitlessness, yes, this parable is about a second chance, but it is also about what should inspire us to repentance. Here is where we find ourselves in a cliffhanger- because, we never hear what happens to the tree. The parable begins with a vineyard owner declaring that since a particular fig tree has not bared fruit it should be cut down. For three years, he has waited for this fig tree to produce and for three years it has done nothing. It should be noted that it can take a long time, more than three years, for a fig tree to reach maturity and fruit bearing age. But the point of the story is that the vineyard owner proclaims imminent judgmentally on the tree but the gardener requests that the owner allow one more year and perhaps with the proper care it will bear fruit. With the right kind of soil, with the right kind of care, with the right amount of time, perhaps this tree will do what it was planted to do. So, what happens, does it end up bearing fruit or is it cut down? A traditional cliffhanger would give us the answer, at least at some point in the following chapters. But instead we are left with the unknown. This parable ties in with Jesus’ previous comments about the recent events because, as theologian Matt Skinner says, “Just because you have not been cut down, do not presume that you are bearing fruit… Jesus’ words about judgement and repentance are scary, yet they depict human life as a gift, albeit a fragile one.” The fate of this tree is left hanging.

I believe that we don’t know the fate of this fig tree because it is up to us to create the ending. Will we choose to bear fruit- in all of our vulnerability through God’s grace- or will we choose to live in fear- immobilized by our fragility? Repentance in this parable means something so much more than being sorry, it refers to a changed mind, a new way of living, a claiming of a particular lifestyle. Repentance means living a life that points toward God- regardless how brief or how long that life is- because life is a precious gift. But God has been waiting for milliennia for us to complete that cliffhanger. Which ending do you choose? I guess we’ll just have to wait until next week to find out. Amen