Book of Faith - Luke 17:11-37 - The Ten Lepers

The Ten Lepers raised a number of questions.  Was the one who returned to give thanks the only one who had faith?  How was the experience of the one who returned different from the other nine?  Did the leprosy come back for the nine who did not return to give thanks?  The consensus was that all ten were healed and remained healed.  The gift given to one who returned to give thanks is that he was told that the healing was possible through the gift of faith in him.  The others were left to believe that the the healing was to be found only in Jesus.  In the future, when there would be difficulties, the nine would be searching the countryside for Jesus, the one who came back to give thanks could turn to the gift of faith within himself.  

Of course, what is remarkable in the telling of the story, as far as Luke was concerned, is that the one who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan.  This is a pattern all through Luke.  It is the outsider, the foreigner, the sinner who have the greatest faith and the greatest sense of gratitude.  This is part of the human condition.  When we are blessed, we can develop as a sense of entitlement.  We can lose our sense of gratitude.  We can lose our sense of grace being grace.  Jesus saw this within his own people and it broke his heart.  

The last part of chapter 17 was very challenging.  On the one hand, Luke is saying that the kingdom of God is not coming with signs.  On the other hand, Luke seems to be saying that the kingdom of God will come with signs, but we will not notice them.  The group decided that the point being made is not to concern ourselves with signs, whether they are there or not.  The concern in being God's person in the here and now.  The rest, we can simply and gratefully place in the hands of God.  The group believed that this section could have used an editor.  Matthew was much clearer handling the same material.  Luke makes his point, but the point seems to be little confusing.  

The Book of Faith will be going into hiatus during the summer and resume in September.  At least, the weekly meetings will.  The Book of Faith blog will continue and, hopefully, readers will continue reading.  The blog will start with the beginning of chapter 18 next week.  Keep reading.  Keep exploring. And keep discovering the riches and surprises of scripture.

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 17:1-10 - Tit for Tat

We moved into chapter 17 and were soon confronted by a number of questions.  In verse 3, are we to rebuke our brother when they sin in general or when they sin against us personally?  If we are to rebuke sin in general are we then called to be the moral police?  If so, doesn't that open the door to us to becoming judgmental?  What is the business about faith in verse 6?  Is Jesus saying the disciples have no faith?  How are we to understand a tree walking around by faith?  How are we to understand the parable of the master and the slave?  Is there to be no gratitude?

All of these were good questions and the discussion that followed was helpful.  In the first part of chapter 17, there seems to be a progression in the first verses.  Jesus say that life, with all its temptations, is hard enough without people putting up stumbling blocks (sin).  Let's say you are battling a food addiction.  You don't need someone offering you chocolate cake.  We are called, for the sake of others, to confront one another when we are stumbling blocks. Such a rebuke does not have to be hurtful.  It can simply be the truth without judgment.  The point is not to condemn someone, but to open the door to change.  We do this with children all the time.  If you son or daughter makes fun of another person, we confront them.  The end result is not to make our child feel bad about themselves, but to change their behavior.  This business of confrontation (rebuking) is easier when the sin is directed at us.  We noted that some translations of the Bible include the words "against us" in verse 3 after brother.  Forgiveness is also easier to understand when the sin is against us.  How do I forgive the sin of another that is directed elsewhere and not at you?  This seems to be God business.

Turing to the next verses, having faith like a mustard seed was not seen as an indictment of the disciples' faith, but an affirmation of the power of faith.  We are the ones who put on the limits.  Jesus is saying that, with faith, all things are possible even if that faith is the size of a mustard seed.  A walking tree is a wonderful image of that power.  

The parable of the master and the slave is an image that is foreign to us, however, the image would have been very well known in the time of Jesus.  Jesus often used images and metaphors from his own context.  Slavery was a part of that context.  Jesus is not saying that this is the way it should be, rather, he uses this known image to speak the truth.  The parable is not connected to the first part of chapter 17, but stands separate.  Luke strings together parables and teaching like a strand of pearls.  Each one has a meaning and purpose, but they do not need to interact with each other.  This parable stands alone and is a reaction to the tit for tat theology that had become prevalent.  If you did want God wanted you to do, then you should be rewarded.  It was pointed out that children work this angle all the time.  They do what they are suppose to do and then believe they are entitled to a reward.  A gift given is no longer a gift, but a payment due.  Jesus is challenging that idea.  Doing what God would have us do is our calling.  It is in response to what God has already done for us. We should not expect a reward and we should not feel cheated if their is no payoff.  Being Christian is not the door to great rewards in our life, but our response to a great and gracious God in our lives.

Next week, we move into the story of the ten lepers.  This will be the last Wednesday meeting until September.  However, the blog will continue through the summer.  Keep checking the website for new entries and keep the conversation going.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 16:14-18 - Divorce

In reading Luke, it was difficult to move through this passage about divorce.   To set the context, in the time of Jesus, there were two schools of thought about divorce.  One was the school of Shammai, which allowed divorce only on the grounds of adultery.  The other school of the school of Hillel, which had a more liberal interpretation.  A man could divorce his wife because she spoiled the food, or spoke disrespectfully, or was too loud.  This is just a partial list.  The prevailing view was Hillel.  In fact, it was so bad that women were refusing to be married.  Jesus enters the conversation and argues against divorce.  "Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery."  

Here is where our discussion began.  Are there absolute laws?  What does it mean that we are free of the law? What is the church's position on divorce?  Has it changed through the years?  How can it change?  If it can, what are the implications for other laws?

We began the conversation looking at the church's position through the years.  Going back to 1930, there has been a shift in our position about divorce.  Divorce is still a sin because it is a breaking of a relationship, but there is a much more gracious tone.  Divorce is a consequence of our living in a broken and sinful world.  Sometimes, divorce brings an end to an abusive relationship.  However, every divorce is an occasion of grief.  Everyone who has ever gone through a divorce can speak of the pain.  No one needs to tell someone who is divorcing about the brokenness.  Certainly, no one needs to judge them.  As a community of faith, we are to speak a word of forgiveness and grace.  If someone then marries again, the hope and prayer is for that marriage to be for a lifetime.  God's intention remains the same.  God intends every marriage to be forever.  That is the constant.  Jesus sounds harsh in scripture because of the reason the people had for  asking the question.  They were trying to get around the law.  They wanted to justify divorce as though bending or using the law would negate the consequences.  Divorce is never OK.  Divorce is never what God intends.  However, like the woman caught in the act of adultery, in the midst of someone divorcing, God's word is one of forgiveness, not judgment.  As Jesus says to the adulterous woman, after he challenges anyone who is without sin to throw a stone of judgement at her and one by one the people walk away, "Is there no one left to judge you, neither do I.  Go and sin no more."  This is God's gracious word.  

We will be continuing this conversation this coming Wednesday.  We have not addressed all the questions.  We invite you to join us in person at noon on Wednesday or join us on the blog.  In any event, be a part of the discussion as we explore the scriptures on the road to discipleship.  

Book of Faith - Luke 16: 1-13 - The Dishonest Stewardship

By comparison, last Wednesday, with the parable of the lost sheep and the prodigal son were, was easy.  This week, the parable of the dishonest steward raised all kinds of questions.  Here is a man who is caught cheating and before he is dismissed by his master, he alters the book so that people will owe his master less and think well of him.  The master finds out and commends the dishonest steward for his shrewdness.  What do we do with such a parable?  Even Luke seems to have difficulty by following the parable with verses 10-13.  He doesn't want us to get the wrong idea.  For Luke, the point of the parable is not that we are to be dishonest.  Luke makes it clear that if you are dishonest with even a little, you will be dishonest when the stakes are higher.  And if you are dishonest, who will entrust you with the true riches?  

Of course, this leads us back to the original parable and all the difficulties the story holds.  It certainly is not an allegory.  God is not the rich man commending the dishonesty of his steward.  The story is not an example of how we are to live our lives.  We are not to be dishonest with money in order to make friends.  So what is the point?  The discussion focused on seeing the big picture.  Jesus is saying that even the people of this world know how to use the gifts they have.  The steward knows how to play the game.  He cheats by altering the books.  He uses his gift.  He knows he is not strong enough to do labor.  He is too proud to beg.  But he knows how to cook the books.  As people of faith, we have been given many gifts.  How often do we use those gifts?  How often do they sit on the shelf?  How often do we wait?  If even a dishonest man knows how do use his gifts, shouldn't we use the gifts that God has given us?  Earlier in Luke, Jesus talks about salt losing its saltiness.  The only way salt loses its saltiness is if it is not used.  We need to use the gifts God has given.  

One final note, the beauty of scripture is that scripture opens so many unexpected doors.  One person in the group saw in the parable letting go of some things in order to open the future.  A hundred measures of oil owed becomes 50 measures of oil.  Sometimes we hold on to set beliefs or grudges that keep us from reconciling with others, that keep doors locked that should be opened.  Sometimes we need to let go.  The group enjoyed this surprising insight from this parable.  Who knows where the Spirit will lead you as you spend time with God's word?

Peace,
Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 15 - The Prodigal Son: What happens next?

The 15th chapter of Luke includes two of the best know stories in scripture: the Lost Sheep and the Prodigal Son.  The Prodigal Son caused the most conversation.  The question was asked, "What happens after the welcome home feast?"  The older son is already upset about his father throwing a party for his younger brother, who wasted all of his inheritance (which should have been the older brother's in the first place) and comes home because he has nowhere else to go.  Everyone in the group appreciated the older brother's feeling.  An example was given of people receiving assistance when they fail to pay their mortgage.  What about the people who have taken a big hit financially, but still faithfully pay their mortgage?  How is their not receiving help fair?  Are we supporting those who are irresponsible?  It's difficult not to be upset.  It doesn't seem fair.  So we're back to the original question about what happens after the feast.

Two possibilities were given by the group, however, neither felt right.  One possibility would be that after the party, the younger son receives another portion of the inheritance, but that seems truly unfair.  A second possibility would be that the younger brother receives nothing, but that also doesn't feel right.  Out of our discussion a third possibility arose.  What if the gracious welcome the younger son received changed (transformed) his life?  What if he refused any additional support?  What if the welcome (which he didn't expect) was all he needed?  This possibility felt right for everyone and reflected what we say about grace.  We say God's grace has the power to change (transform) lives.  Paul, Augustine, and Luther all believed in that transforming power.  

This led to a discussion about where we have seen or experienced that transforming power in our lives.  There are some faith traditions that are very comfortable talking about a changed or transformed life.  We Lutherans are not as open about recognizing or sharing that experience. We tend not to point to one moment, but say that it happens over time.  We say that transformation takes place in our baptism and that we acknowledge that change in confirmation.  We say that transforming power is experienced when we come to the table at worship or when we hear the word proclaimed.  One person shared that they experienced that transforming power in the Book of Faith conversations.  The more we talked, the more examples were put on the table.  The conversation then turned to how we, as Lutherans, can lift up and celebrate those moments and occasions of transformation.  We need to say, like our brothers and sisters in other traditions, that the gospel, the grace of God, has the power to change lives and is doing so each and every day.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

Book of Faith - Luke 14:25-35 - Discipleship: In or Out

This week, we couldn't get past the cost of discipleship.  Jesus speaks of you hating your father, mother, children,  brothers, sisters, and your own life, if you would be a disciple.  This radical call is soften a little when you remove the word "hate" with it's emotional content, and talk about priorities, who or what comes first.  Jesus says, if we are to be disciples, he must come first before anyone or anything else, including  family and our own lives.  Even soften, this is an extraordinary demand.  The question was asked whether there was some middle ground.  The suggestion was made that there could be an "Associate Disciple" and everyone laughed, but the truth is, there is no middle ground.  With discipleship, it's all or nothing.  Jesus makes this point clearly and makes it more often as he moves toward the cross.  At least, that's how the gospel of Luke presents the story.  Where is the grace?

The group noted that in the gospel of Luke, that most of Jesus' words of grace seem to be for the outsiders, the gentiles, and the sinners more than his own people, certainly more that the righteous people and religious leaders. For the righteous and authorities, there always seems to be a challenge.  Jesus wants to shake things up, to get people out of their comfort zones.  There is a radical nature to being a disciple that makes you leave everything you thought you knew behind.  Discipleship demands a dependence on God that does not come easily to us.  Discipleship is something we can't do ourselves.

Where is the grace in the call to discipleship?  The example we explored was the teacher who challenged us to the core when we were in school.  Often times, our favorite teacher was the most demanding.  I had an English teacher who gave me my first and only D's.  I didn't get D's in school.  How could this be?  He demanded more of me.  At first, I thought he was completely unfair.  By comparison, my writing was not that bad.  There were times when I hated him and saw my homework assignments and doing battle with him.  I would not let him get the best of me.  I would show him.  As you can imagine, my grades began to improve dramatically.  I began to notice that my writing was much better than it had ever been.  I began to enjoy writing, which was a first for me.  I became proud of some of my stories and would go back over them.  By the end of the year, this English became one of my favorite teachers and I was one of his favorite students.  I would learn that I had always been one of his favorite students.  He wanted to challenge me to become something more than I had been.  I never thought of myself as a writer or that I could be creative with words.  He saw the potential in me and challenged me.  I will never forget the gift he gave me, even though it was a struggle at the time.  His challenge was an act of grace.  

Jesus calls us to something greater in our lives.  He calls us to discipleship.  The road is not easy and we cannot travel the road alone.  We stumble on the way.  We grow weary.  We fall short, but we travel on.  There are times when the challenge seems to great, but, once we begin the journey, we don't want to leave the road.  We are grateful that we have been called.  We discover strengths and gifts in ourselves we never imagined.  We come to realize that the call, though radical and challenging, is grace.      

Book of Faith - Luke 14:15-24 - The Great Banquet

This parable is similar to the one told in Matthew 22:2-10.  However, in Matthew, the story is much more an allegory with the "king" being  God, who gives the feast, and the "servants" being the prophets and apostles, who are mistreated.  Luke's telling of the parable is more open ended, but Luke also expands the parable.  After those who are invited refuse the invitation, the servant goes out to the streets and lanes of the city (the sinners and outcasts), and then goes even further, out to the highways and hedges.  In other words, the servant goes out into the larger world, the gentile world.  For the religious authorities, who had invited Jesus to dinner, his parable would have been offensive on a number of levels.  As people, who saw themselves being invited to the banquet because of their piety, the idea that they would be standing outside, because of their refusal, and that sinners, outcasts, and gentiles would be invited into the feast was unimaginable.  Of course, the Kingdom of God has a way of turning the world upside down.  That is true even today.  We have been claimed by the grace of God and we have a way of turning that gift into a sense of entitlement rather than responsibility.  Church becomes a place where the good people of this world go on Sunday rather than people who realize they are in need of the grace of God.  Having God claim us does not make us better than others.  We are all sinners, who are surprised when the invitation is given to come to the banquet, and go with a sense of deep gratitude and willingness to serve.  

On Wednesday, the deeper conversation surrounded the question of whether God knew we would fall short when he gave the law or was God surprised when the law didn't work.  Has God changed through time in response to what we have done or failed to do?  The scripture seems to support that God does change.  Certainly, there is evidence in the Old Testament of God changing his mind.  The Flood, Abraham speaking on behalf of those in Sodom, and Jonah are three examples.  If God does not change, what is the meaning of God's suffering, God's listening to the cry of his people, and God's answering prayers.  The group realized that the scripture reflects the understanding of God's people through time and therefore the view of God changes as the people of God's own understanding of God changes.  God is made known through time.  God remains constant, but our perception changes.  Jesus challenged the religious authorities about their understanding of God, not because God had changed, but because their understanding had gone down the wrong road.  They had shaped a theology and given God credit, but God did not conform to their theology.  Jesus wanted to challenge their view.  

The group didn't stop there.  There are elements of change in God through the witness of scripture.  God is dynamic, rather than static.  The unchanging part of God is God's faithfulness, mercy, and grace.  However, the future is not etched in stone.  We are not following a path that has already been assigned.  We are not going through the motions of living our lives.  We make choices and often bad choices.  The good news is that God again and again meets us where we are in faithfulness, mercy, and grace.  God always has a counter to our actions so that our future is secure.  God ultimately prevails because God always has the last word and that word is always grace.  We can take great comfort in that knowledge.  

I hope people continue to follow this blog.  The Wednesday Book of Faith group wants to share with others their conversation and hope that the discussion is as meaningful to those who read the blog as it is for those who come on Wednesday.

Peace,

Pastor Summer