First Lutheran Church

September 24, 2023 + The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Jonah 3:10 – 4:1-2 + When God saw what [the people of Ninevah] did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it …. But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning, for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. 

Matthew 20:1-16 + [Jesus said to the disciples:] “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” 

Sermon

“That’s Not Fair”

Pastor Greg Ronning

“That’s not fair!”  They are not the first words we learn to say as a child, but they could be the first words we learn - to use.  And continue to use the rest of our life!  I’m not sure when I first used those words, but I imagine I was but a few years old, because that’s when we usually experience the truth that life is not fair.And that’s the problem, life is not fair, however there’s a bigger problem we need to address, - God is not fair!

Ask Jonah about it!

God had decided to punish the people of Ninevah for all their evil ways.  So, God calledthe prophet Jonah, “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.” However, as we know, Jonah does not obey God, instead he chooses to flee in the other direction towards Tarshish.  Soon after, a great storm and three days inside the belly of a great fish, persuade Jonah to change his mind and direction.  Reluctantly Jonah travels to Ninevah to deliver this message from God, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 

And then something happens that really makes Jonah mad, all the people of Nineveh suddenly believe in God - and repent.  And this “displeases” Jonah and makes him very “angry,”so he cries out to God, "O Lord!  is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?  That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing."

You see, Jonah knew the nature of God, Jonah knew deep down that God was love and that God would forgive them,- and he couldn't bear it.  He didn't want the Ninevites to repent, he wanted them to be wiped out- because that's what they deserved!Ninevah was the capital of Assyria, the oppressive war Lords of the Near East.  It was an infamous place, known for its sin, violence, lust, and blasphemy.  It was a Gentile city, not a part of God's chosen people.  Yet despite all their past sins, God graciously and lovingly accepts their repentance, and it’s all over, their sin is forgotten.  They call upon the name of God and are saved.  And Jonah just doesn't think that's fair.  In fact, at this point he’d rather die than live, he cries to God,  “O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

And Jonah is not the only person who thinks that God is not fair!

The people working in the vineyard in today's gospel parable don't think that things are being done fairly.  The people who worked all day long end up getting the same wages as the people who worked for only one hour.  What’s that all about?  The owner says it’s not about being fair but simple sharing the daily wage with everyone, giving all what they need to live and feed their families.  The owner exclaims, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?”  OK, yes, we get it, but it’s still not fair!

So it is, with God.  God hands out mercy, forgiveness, and salvation without the distinction that we want, without the conditions that seem appropriate to us.  I'm gonnahave to share it equally with my brother, and I was the one who went to seminary and became a pastor.  Even Mother Theresa is going to have to share it with someone who doesn't deserve it.  And you're gonnahave to share it with all those people who chose to sleep in today and “not” go to church.  It just isn't fair!  We should at least have first dibs on the front row seats in heaven.  (Or the back rows, - they seem to be more popular) But no, “the last will be first and the first will be last.”

So it is that the “good news” of the Gospel, does not always sound like “good news” to us!So it is that this “good news” can challenge us and our principals of fairness.  Perhaps the Eighteenth-Century Irish writer and the satirist Jonathan Swift, got I right when he wrote, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another."

We seem to be hopelessly caught up in the established moral code of this world, “law and order,” fairness, a code of “works righteousness.”And we want to insert that code into our religion, our faith.  A code which is reasonable and has clear priorities.  First offenders deserve more mercy than chronic offenders.  Three strikes and you’re out.  We reach out and rehabilitate those with the greatest chance of being rehabilitated.  Mercy is related to effort, time, and money.  And most importantly, let the punishment fit the crime, “a tooth for a tooth,” “an eye for and eye.”  You made your bed now you must lie in it!  These moral codes allow us to create distinctions between peoples, distinctions that help us make “fair” decisions.  Good people are singled out and rewarded and bad people are singled out and punished.  Truth be told we like the notion of “Divine Karma.”

But it’s not that way with God.  A repentant heart can be completely forgiven - even after four strikes, - even after “seventy times seven”strikes.  The invitation to forgiveness is never taken away, no matter what sin has been committed.  Even a lifetime of sin cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

And I must admit it, sometimes I feel like Jonah, “That’s just not fair!   Some people don't deserve it, and it makes me mad.   Yet God calls me to step beyond my self-centered-ness, my fragile ego, my fear, my scarcity, and my tendency to judge others.  God calls me to step beyond all that fallen-ness and “live in” and “witness to” the unconditional love of God in Christ Jesus.Our mission as people of faith, as people of God's emerging kingdom, has nothing to do with the world's moral code, with “law and order,” but rather with grace, amazing grace, even a radical grace, - God's shocking generosity and unconditional love.   That is the guiding principle of God's kingdom, the very power of God's kingdom.  And that is the kingdom to which we ultimately belong, and that is the kingdom we miss out on when we get caught up in “law and order.”

So it is, that the good news of Christ - challenges us.  In a world of “law and order” and “self-imposed boundaries” we are called to be “grace-filled” and “grace-full” and to reach out beyond lines we have drawn.  We are called not to look out at the people of the world and judge them and categorize them; but rather we are called to proclaim the good news to them, to care for them, to love them.  We are called to be "in Christ" with them.  We are to invite them into the family of God.  And they are to be full members, - not stepchildren.  Even if they are Ninevites!God is full of love, enough love for all of us.  And in God's love there is a place for each of us. 

It’s ironic that in today’s first lesson, Jonah uses the words of Psalm 145 to criticize God, he complains, “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing."  Jonah seems to think these qualities somehow make God weak.  It’s ironic for us because those are the same promises we “remember” and “cling to” as we assemble on Ash Wednesday, as we humbly and honestly confess our sin, gathering around the appointed reading from that day from the Book of Joel, who also quotes Psalm 145, “Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.”God is not made strong in judgment, but in mercy and love.  On Ash Wednesday I am thankful that God is notabsolutely fair, but rather that God is decidedly love, radically love, unconditionally love.  For on that day, I dare not trust in fairness, but only in the love of God as revealed in Christ Jesus.

The Talmud, the collection of ancient Rabbinic writings which constitute the basis of religious authority in Orthodox Judaism, says of Psalm 145, "Those who pray [David’s Hymn of Praise] three times a day can be certain that they are a child of the future."

Let us not fight God's mercy, let us not run from it as Jonah, or complain about it with the vineyard workers, rather let us just “be” in it, sing it out three times a day, rest in its peace and in its love, and fully abide in the future kingdom that comes to us today - in, with, and through - Christ our Lord. 

This is good news - God loves us, God loves us all,God loves the “Ninevites,” and in God's love there is a place for each and every one of us!Amen.

Sermon on Matthew 18:21-35

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

Today’s parable seems pretty straightforward at first glance. We’ve been forgiven everything by God, so we should forgive others instead of holding on to minor grievances.

But two things have been bugging me about this parable.

First, the sums of money that Jesus names.

A single denarius was about a day’s wages for a laborer.

A single talent was about 6,000 denarii.

So the guy that owed the slave money owed him several months’ wages—not an insignificant amount.

But the slave owed the king 10,000 times 6,000 day’s wages.We’re talking easily billions of dollars if we try to convert that to today’s currency.

What’s bothering me is: why did the king loan the equivalent of billions of dollars to this slave? That makes no sense!

Sure, it could simply be a gross exaggeration to emphasize how much God has forgiven us. But hold on to that question for now, and we’ll see if we can come up with a more satisfying answer.

The second thing that’s bothering me is Jesus’ closing statement: “And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Is Jesus really saying here that God will torture anyone who doesn’t sincerely forgive everyone for everything?

Fire and brimstone preachers had plenty to draw from in the Bible, including this line from Jesus.

But we don’t deal in fear here. Picking verses here and there can provide ammunition for scaring people into doing pretty much anything you want. But that is manipulating the Bible, not reading it faithfully.

The Bible also says that “God is love,”[1] and “perfect love casts outfear.”[2] And lest you think I’m doing the very same cherry-picking, let me say that those individual verses merely illustrate the larger theme of love that is entrenched throughout the Bible from beginning to end.

So, a god that throws us into the dungeon to be tortured for all eternity for withholding forgiveness does not line up with the character of the loving, forgiving, grace-filled God we see throughout the Bible.

But then what do we do with Jesus’ words at the end of this parable?

We could say he’s exaggerating for dramatic effect.

Or perhaps there’s more to be learned here about God and God’s Beloved Community.

A commentary by Stanley Saunders[3] helped me understand today’s parable in a different way.

He helped me realize I wasn’t considering the structure of the society and what that meant for this parable.

Saunders describes the structure of society at the time as a pyramid: the king is at the top, and from there, various managers would collect wealth from those lower on the pyramid and pass it up toward the king. They would also, of course, shave a bit off for themselves in the process.

So, the slave in the parable (let’s call him Matt) was probably a very high-ranking manager who had access to a huge upwardly flowingcurrent of wealth. Perhaps he skimmed a little too much off for himself, or perhaps those on the lower levels weren’t paying their share. That is how a slave might owe a king an exorbitant amount that could never be paid back.

And in a system like that, the king had to send a message to the rest of the pyramid. He had to make an example of Matt or else everyone else would think they could get away with the same thing.

But the king’s heart was moved by Matt’s pleas for mercy, and he forgave it all!

And this one merciful act upended the whole system. Saunders says, “The king effectively inaugurates a regime of financial amnesty, a jubilee, not only for one slave, but for everyone in his debt.”

Jubilee is a concept in the Hebrew Bible that wiped the slate clean when it comes to debt, enslavement, and property. Some things happened every seven years and some every seven times seven years, but basically debt was forgiven, slaves were freed, and property went back to its historical owner. This was how God instructed the freed Israelites to structure their life together: an economy of forgiveness—not just saying “I’m sorry,” but tangible economic forgiveness.

By wiping out one debt, the king in the parable institutes a similar economy of forgiveness.

But instead of accepting this new economy along with his newfound forgiveness, Matt continues to operate in the old system and with a vengeance. He starts ruling the lower levels of the pyramid with an iron fist, demanding what he would have been owed in the previous system.

And others witness it, alerting the king to this mismanagement of jubilee.

By operating in the old system, Matt is forcing the king back into that economic account setting. This parable isn’t about one person demanding payment. It’s about someone overturning the abundance and forgiveness of jubilee.

Matt’s unforgiveness binds the king into the pyramid system in which either debts are collected or their debtors punished.

I don’t want to let the king off entirely—he still has the choice not to punish Matt—but it’s Matt’s insistence on upholding the unforgiving system violently that results in his debts being reinstated.

Matt, even in his state of having been forgiven, wasn’t willing to imagine a world of forgiven debts. To a certain extent, his prison was his own creation—his torture, self-inflicted.

And to a certain extent, it is our choice whether we imagine the world as the realized Beloved Community or insist that the status quo remains.

But it’s hard within the status quo to imagine anything different.

Does Beloved Community mean that everyone is required to say sorry all the time and forgive everyone for everything?

No.

For too long, the Bible has been used to bludgeon victims into forgiving their abusers. To guilt those without power into forgiving the harms of those with power. To silence, to hide abuse, to convince people that Jesus said to forgive, so if they don’t forgive, it is their sin that matters, not that they have been sinned against.

Notice in this parable that it’s those with power who are the ones to forgive. The king forgives Matt, his slave. Matt ought to forgive the other slave who is indebted to him. This parable is not about ignoring accountability.

It’s about living into the lavish, even ridiculous,world order of the Beloved Community. A world in which a king is compassionate and debts are forgiven and jubilee is real.

The forgiveness that Jesus is talking about here is about community—restoring people who have been hurt and those who have hurt them into community with each other and the rest of the Jesus followers.

This isn’t about silencing abuse. This isn’t about letting people off the hook when they stomp all over our boundaries or enabling people to continue destructive behavior because we’ve “forgiven” them without letting them experience the consequences of their actions. And forgiveness doesn’t always mean continuing a relationship with the wrongdoer.

Forgiveness is difficult and complicated. There isn’t a one-size-fits all formula for it. Forgiveness is as varied as the people who have been wronged and the people who have wronged them.

If you’re thinking about a particular situation this morning, feel free to talk to me or Pastor Greg. Let’s set up a time to chat and dig deeper into what forgiveness might or might not look like for you. There is a lot to unpack and consider, so let’s give it the time it deserves.

For this morning, let’s just remember that God loves each of us beyond imagining.

We’ve each hurt other people and been hurt by other people, and God loves us anyway and weeps with us.

God’s arms are spread to embrace each of us into the Beloved Community, where jubilee reigns, debts are forgiven, and compassion flows.

That invitation is for you. And it will never go away.So rest easy, Beloved.

I want to close by repeating the end of our confession and forgiveness from the beginning of our service:

Friends, this Good News is for all the world: Christ was born, lived and died, and rose again thatwe would be freed from sin and death. Know that indeed you are forgiven, and be at peace. +

Amen.

[1]1 John 4:16

[2]1 John 4:18

[3]https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-24/commentary-on-matthew-1821-35-4

“God’s Work, Our Hands”

September 10, 2023

Micah 6:8 + “He has told you, O mortal, what is good,and what does the Lord require of youbut to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 22:34-40 + “When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

“God’s Work, Our Hands”

Pastor Greg Ronning

This Sunday many congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be gathering for “God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday;” taking a break from our usual Sunday routines to participate in service projects that bear witness to our identity – “one church, freed in Christ to love and serve our neighbor.”This year marks the 10th anniversary of “God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday.”

Participating in a life marked by service to neighbor allows us to live out one of our most basic convictions as Lutherans: “All of life in Jesus Christ — every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life — flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.”    We love others because we have been loved!

It’s “God’s Work” and “Our Hands,” it’s important to note the word order!  Former Bishop Mike Girlinghouse of Nebraska writes, “The order of the words in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s tagline, “God’s Work, Our Hands,” is important. I appreciate the fact that, whoever came up with this tagline, put “God’s Work” first. Unfortunately, sometimes we get it backwards. We turn it around and act like “Our Hands” comes first (even if we that’s not what we intend). That we are the ones who define God’s Work. That it is our work that will save the world and that God simply blesses it. Nothing could be further from the truth!”

So it is, when it comes to participating in the work of God, we must first discern what it is God is doing.  If we are going to do the work of God, we need to learn what the work of God is.  Then, and only then, we can use our hands in service to the kingdom.  This critical work of discernment begins with the scriptures and is followed by prayer.“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

What do we know about the work of God as found in the scriptures?  Some of my favorites would be …

Micah 6:8. + “He has told you, O mortal, what is good,and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

The Great Commandment as found in the Gospel of Matthew.+  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Judgement of the Nations as found in the 25th chapter of Matthew. +“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’  And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’” 

Zechariah 7:8-10 + “The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.” 

Matthew 5:43-45 + “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, …”

And finally …

John 13:34-35 + “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The work of God, the common theme found in all the scriptures, is simple and clear, we are called to love and serve our neighbor, the stranger, the sojourner, the alien, and even our enemy.  They will know we are Christians by our love.

This Sunday, our “God’s Work, Our Hands” service project will be serving a Thank You Breakfast to our Fire Department just down the street from us on Commonwealth and Lemon.  Fire Fighters don’t just put out fires, they come to the aid of all those in need, those in danger, those who need to be rescued, and those who are experiencing a medical trauma.  They truly love and serve their neighbors.  And as we approach September 11th, as we are reminded of the heroic efforts of the Fire Departments in New York City on that fateful day, we remember that Fire Fighters often put their own lives on the line in service to others.

Today we will “serve”our Firefighters breakfast, and we will express our “gratefulness” for their good work, the work of God, with “Thank You”cards and treats.  “God’s Work, Our Hands.”  Amen.

Hymn “God’s Work, Our Hands”

God's work, our hands: working together,

building a future, repairing the world,

raising up homes, planting new gardens,

feeding the hungry and shelt'ring the cold.

Bless, God, our hands as we work in your name,

sharing the good news of your Gospel.

God's work, our feet: trav'ling together,

following Jesus to places unknown,

walking as friends, marching for freedom,

running the race with God's future the goal.

Bless, God, our feet as we follow your way,

sharing the good news of your Gospel.

God's work, our voice: singing together,

praising, proclaiming to all who will hear,

praying for peace, shouting for justice,

claiming God's love for the lost and the least.

Bless, God, our voice as we speak in your name,

sharing the good news of your Gospel.

God is at work in and around us:

seedlings are sprouting and bread's on the rise!

Washed and set free, humbled and honored,

gifted by grace, we respond in God's love.

Bless, God, our lives as we answer your call,

sharing the good news of your Gospel.

Amen.