Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014 (full size gallery)
Labor Day Sunday, the beginning of school led one to think of visual reminders in nature – the cutting of the corn, maturing soy beans, turning of color in the fields. Against moderate temperatures in the morning it was a sight to behold. We see more signs of leaves turning color. And then in the Gospel there is also a turning point which will lead toward Easter.
Catherine was on the second week of vacation and we had Cookie and Johnny as officiant and lector. We had 32 in the service. They had it well planned in advance. Helmut was a triple threat as preacher, choir member and violinist. Denise was back as organist in Brad’s absence.
Helmut’s sermon showed the Gospel as a turning point on the road to Jerusalem and the contrast between one focusing on his own desires (Peter) and the necessity to listen to God’s plan for us. The illustration of Johnny, a young boy in a severe store storm at home looking for comfort in actual man "with skin" says plenty of our dilemma in finding comfort.
Lectionary thoughts from Canon Lance Ousley, Diocese of Olympia, Washington
Our readings this week are set in the contrast of a cultural worldview and a heavenly kingdom worldview.
In our reading from Jeremiah, the prophet laments in frustration his position of persecution to God. Jeremiah’s complaints are founded, but it is ironic that he pleads with God to "remember." God responds to Jeremiah in his worldly forgetfulness that it is he, Jeremiah, who has not remembered that God is with him making him a "wall of bronze" against his enemies and that "surely, God will deliver him for a good purpose." Jeremiah’s complaints are real, but they also are conceived in the world-view of life with difficulty reflects abandonment by God. But God reminds Jeremiah that God is with him, and it is through Jeremiah’s offering himself in prophetic service and his perseverance in persecution that the people will turn toward him and his heavenly vision of life in the world. It takes exhibited conviction of faith to turn a cultural worldview to the vision of God’s kingdom reigning in the world.
Paul’s exhortations to the Romans in this week’s reading encourages us to live differently than the dominant culture. Each dictum contradicts the cultural operative mode even if it agrees with conventional wisdom. Paul holds up these values because they are in contrast to how life is being lived outside the faith. While it is easy to see that blessing one’s enemies is a contrast to worldly wisdom one also might think that it is common to rejoice when others rejoice, but the worldly demon of competitive desire hopes for the failure of others. Paul is painting a vision of what it means to "not conform to this world but to commit to the transformation of the renewing of our minds" in the heavenly worldview of offering ourselves as "living sacrifices" for the kingdom of God in the world (cf. Rom. 12:1-2). As living sacrifices we steward the coming of God’s kingdom into the world. While Paul’s quote of Proverbs 25:21-21 about kindness to our enemies heaps burning coals upon them sounds spiteful, what it really is saying is to let God be the judge and for us to keep busy stewarding our faith in God.
As Jesus reveals his destiny on the cross (and his being raised from the dead) to his disciples Peter becomes disturbed seeing this only through his cultural worldview failing to see the congruence of his proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah with Jesus as the Suffering Servant. How could the Messiah be persecuted and crucified? The dominant worldview answer to this question was a stumbling block for those who could not see the paradoxical vision of God’s kingdom conquering death through death. Jesus explains that they are "setting their minds on human things and not on divine things" encouraging them to see the world in a whole new way. The world tell us that we must do whatever it takes for self-preservation and grab all that we can when we can because our lives depend on it. But Jesus goes on pronouncing the paradoxes of God’s kingdom and discipleship which leads to abundant (and eternal) life: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?" These ideas contradict conventional wisdom, but it is in giving that we receive, in letting go that we gain, and in denying ourselves that we find our true selves and see the vision of God’s kingdom being unveiled in the world!
Do we see our lives and world through the lens of the Cross of Christ or through the fear-based dominant worldview of self-preservation?
Do not be afraid.