Sermons
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 Old Testament Reading Ezekiel 34: 11-16
The Gospel Luke 15: 1-7 As we know, our amazing musician Terry is also a shepherd. Terry knows her sheep - she can tell the different voices of each one. One night she was awakened by the sound of a sheep calling. She knew exactly which one it was, Dolly, who was in distress. Terry put on her bathrobe, muck boots, head lamp and work gloves, then grabbed the fencing tool and headed out to help Dolly. She didn’t know where she was but she called out to her and Dolly answered, guiding Terry to where she was stuck on the other side of the fence near the swamp where coyotes often range. It took Terry quite a bit of work to get Dolly back to the safe pasture. As Terry worked, Dolly bleated her gratitude and joyfully joined her fellow ewes when she was safely back. Dolly is just one of many sheep Terry has had. It was not fun getting up in the middle of the night to have to work hard to get her back, but Terry didn’t think twice about what she needed to do. Dolly needed her and Terry was there to guide her back to the safety of the flock. Of course this was not the only time Terry had to help a sheep. A good shepherd, as Terry is, always does what she can and always welcomes the wayward sheep back. The Bible has at least 78 references to shepherds and over 100 to sheep. Of course sheep are useful for their wool, meat, and even milk but they must be cared for to be useful. They must be protected from predators, fed, and watered. In the winter they must be kept warm. In the summer, they must be moved to green pastures and sheared. Being a shepherd is an important job. Sheep are valuable and you do not want to lose any of them. So Jesus shares the parable of the shepherd and the single lost sheep to show the value of each individual. Once again, Jesus turns conventional wisdom on its head when he says, “ Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” I mean, it seems a little negligent to leave 99 sheep in the wilderness to go after one doesn’t it? Jesus didn’t say leave 99 in the safe pasture and go after the one lost in the wilderness. And while Jesus may have been a bit hyperbolic here in relation to the 99 that he leaves, his point is clear: every single one of those sheep is worthy and, if only one really needs you at a given time, you go after that one, not worrying about the others who are not lost. When you find the one who was lost - you celebrate! I think what Jesus is trying to point out here is that it is not so much the taxpayers and sinners who are lost, after all, they have come to hear Jesus speak. But instead it is the scribes and Pharisees who are lost. They don’t want these people they consider “outcasts” around them or Jesus. Those righteous Pharisees and scribes who supposedly followed all the rules and lived good lives looked down on the others and did not want them sitting in the same space, let alone sharing a meal with them. They did not stop there either, they judged Jesus for welcoming those tax collectors and sinners and eating with them. They could not believe the company he kept. It is not ok to just accept most people, to help most people just not those people who somehow are not like us or who have made bad choices or mistakes or are too needy due to illness, habits, war, violence or disaster. Jesus does not exclude those tax collectors and sinners that the others did not really want in the synagogues or at the prayer meetings. Jesus was just listening for and bringing back the lost sheep. And it worked! “The tax collectors (who were likely taking more than their share thus sinning) and sinners were coming near to listen to” Jesus. They were coming back into the safe pasture, welcomed by Jesus the shepherd but the Scribes and Pharisees were more happy with their exclusive green pasture - they did not want to make room for more, especially those whom they deemed as lesser. That is just not how God works. In the Ezekiel scripture God is taking over as the shepherd of Israel because the previous shepherds or leaders were failing. In an earlier portion of Chapter 34 in verses 1-6 the prophet says, “The Word of the Lord came to me: Mortal prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them–to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.” So God stepped in and said he would gather the sheep from all their scattered countries and bring them into good safe, nourishing pastures - bringing back the lost and healing the sick. As we consider this, we might look for guidance to the last stanza in Rev Sarah Speed’s poem, “The Good Shepherd”: She says in reference to Jesus’ parable: “But maybe God was not talking about us. / Maybe God was talking about / her own reckless love. / Maybe God was talking about / her own willingness / to turn the world upside down / for me.” God is willing to turn the world upside down for each and every one of us unique sheep. All humans are God’s sheep no matter what they look like, where they live and how they act; they are all God’s sheep and God will turn the world upside down to support them. That is exactly what Jesus was doing with the sinner and tax collectors and the example that he is trying to set for the Pharisees, Scribes and all of us. You see, we are all called to be Good Shepherds and not just to the sheep we know and like. We are called to welcome in any lost sheep just as God looks for us when we are lost at various points in our lives and celebrates when we come back. We are also called as shepherds to reach outside of our own pastures: across borders and political divisions, across artificial boundaries that we humans create to exclude and isolate rather than invite and welcome. We are called to help all those in need, not just those in our own community or country. We are called to create allies and support them in this sheep herding work to make sure that all are fed, all are sheltered, all are safe and all have access to medical help and the chance to heal. There are many ways that we can be welcoming, caring, supportive, healing shepherds. One way we will do that today is by contributing towards the One Great Hour of Sharing offering which helps refugees and people struck by disasters - those without a safe pasture and shelter. If today you are feeling like a lost sheep, know that God is looking for you to heal you, feed you, and welcome you home. And, if you are not feeling lost, then you are called to be one of God’s good shepherds. Like Terry, we might have to get up out of our warm comfortable beds or chairs to help out a lost, hungry or injured sheep. That is what it means to follow God’s example of radical acceptance and welcoming, nurturing, healing love for all sheep. Amen. Pastor Michelle Fountain
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 The Gospel Luke 10: 38-42
At first glance, this scripture seems to offer an either/or choice. Either one is the worker running around taking care of the needs of Jesus and his entourage as Martha does or one is the student learning from Jesus, hanging on his every word as Mary does. Jesus seems to make his choice clear when he answers Martha’s request to have Mary help her by saying “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” I struggle with this passage a lot because I so relate to it. When looking at this passage, many of us choose sides based on who we are. We either identify with Martha the worker or Mary the more contemplative, studious one. I am a Martha. I can so picture Martha running around cleaning the house, making lunch for Jesus and all the disciples. Arranging flowers for the table, running in to clean the bathroom and finish the dishes, and setting up extra sleeping areas for all the guests. Then I, through Martha’s eyes, look over and see my sister Mary just sitting there at Jesus’ feet and I think to myself, how is it fair that I am doing all this work and she just gets to sit there and listen to the Lord? I feel all of Martha’s frustration and self-righteous anger. I also think Martha really thought Jesus would stand up for her when she said to him, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?”. I mean, he could see all that she was doing. But no, Jesus confirmed that Mary was right where she was supposed to be. I can feel Martha’s face reddening and how deflated she must have felt at Jesus’ response. And yet, let's remember that this passage comes right after the story of the Good Samaritan that we heard last week. So, there is precedent for the value and need for good works that help people. I do not think it is an accident that these two passages follow each other. So let’s take a closer look at the story of Mary and Martha. In many translations, Jesus says that “Mary has chosen the better part,” which has been used to create a divide between Mary and Martha. However, in translating from the Greek, it says Mary has chosen the “good portion,” and Martha’s tasks are called “ministry.” Yes, ministry. She is ministering to the needs of Jesus and his disciples so they can do their ministry. This work, is indeed a form of ministry just like Bill greeting everyone each Sunday morning and ringing the bell is a form of ministry and people bringing food, setting up and cleaning up coffee hour is a form of ministry, Terry’s music is a form of ministry, serving as a Deacon or Trustee or board member is a form of ministry. Putting together disaster kits is a form of ministry and so much more. There are many ways to minister to God’s people. And yes, taking time to be quiet, to pray, and to learn, is also important. But sitting still, taking the time to really quiet our hearts and minds and listen for God can be hard when there is just so much work to be done! And it feels good to check things off the To Do list doesn’t it? So I am Martha and I would have wanted Mary to help me as well or maybe I would have been jealous that she got to sit there with Jesus BECAUSE I was doing all of the work. But let’s step back even farther here and think about the fact that Mary at least, is really falling into the role of a female disciple here learning from Jesus. In Jesus’ time women were generally seen as inferior to men and not given the opportunity to participate in something important like ministry. Yet here we have Jesus teaching Mary. Once again Jesus is a disrupter breaking the male bastion by saying women too can be both students and teachers in God’s work. Martha ministers in one way and Mary in another. Three other women are named in Luke 8: 1-3 as travelling with Jesus and the disciples as they proclaimed the Good News of God: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza and Susanna but the scripture notes there were also “many others” who provided for them out of their resources. It sounds like these women were probably doing more of the Martha-like work and even financially supporting Jesus and the disciples, but they learned from Jesus as well. Mary, however, seems to be ushering in a new kind of role - female disciple who will spread the words of Jesus. Remember, also, that after he is resurrected, Jesus appears to the women. They are the first ones who will then go and proclaim the resurrection becoming preachers of a sort. Mary indeed is one of these female preachers. Let’s think about the way Jesus speaks to Martha in this passage. He says, “Martha, Martha” - I can see him smiling and shaking his head as he says this in a kindly way. The repetition of her name shows a kind of familiarity. It’s not so much that he is admonishing her as saying - “It’s ok, this is where she needs to be.” I mean, I admit that I would be more comfortable if he had invited Martha to sit down as well saying, “Martha, Martha, come join us. I know you would like to learn as well. The work can wait.” Ok - what I really want him to say is, “Martha, Martha, come join us and learn as well. The disciples can make dinner tonight” but maybe one feminist step forward - letting women into this male bastion of learning– was enough for one day. The bottom line is this, it is not that Jesus is excluding Mary from work, it is that he is including her in the ministry of learning and teaching. And maybe that was not Martha’s thing. Martha may have been more at home ministering to Jesus’ and his disciples' physical needs even if it did feel a bit overwhelming at times. Perhaps Mary represents our faith, our desire to know God intimately, and Martha represents our good works, our desire to transform the world. Both are needed, and both are good, but these things are not mutually exclusive either. I am a Martha but I also need my Mary time, even if it takes more effort to get me there. I admire the Marys who can let go of the To Do list in favor of making contemplative time to learn and grow closer to God. It’s not that I cannot do it but it’s more like I have to actually put it on my list to get it done - that also lets me check it off the list, which is equally satisfying. The story of Mary and Martha is not a sibling rivalry where we need to take sides deciding on whether we are on Team Martha or Team Mary. Instead it is a story about using our God-given talents as best we can, regardless of gender or cultural norms. God calls us to use those talents but also to expand them by making time to grow our faith in the knowledge and contemplation of God and putting our faith into action by helping where needed. Both add value. It’s not a competition. So whether you are a “Don’t just sit there, do something!” or a “Don’t just do something, sit there!” person, you are the person who God made you to be and both can serve God. Amen Pastor Michelle Fountain |
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