Woe to the Rich

Gospel: Luke 6: 20-26

Modern Christianity cannot abide the words of woe Jesus addresses to the rich throughout the Gospels.  Modern Christianity depends for its existence on catering to the rich and powerful.  They are necessary for the ongoing maintenance of the vast array of buildings, even more so to maintain the clergy in the life of comfort to which they have become accustomed.  The collar and cowl, once worn to be in solidarity with the slave and the poor, are now symbols of power and privilege.  

So what is done with these words of Jesus warning the rich of the peril of their souls for the neglect and exploitation of the poor?  The first strategy is to ignore the words and pretend they do not exist.  Plan B is to denounce anyone who references them as communists and socialists in a never ending attempt to intimidate and drive off this threat to their power and wealth.  The poor are then condemned as lazy and most unworthy of help.  

Today is the feast of Peter Claver, a man who dedicated his life to care of the poor and exploited.  He provided material and spiritual care for African slaves brought to the new world.  He condemned slavery and pled with masters to care for and release those in bondage.  Peter Claver followed the example of Jesus in today's Gospel portion.  Let us imitate the example of this saint, who followed the Lord Jesus in his care for the poor and marginalized in our world, rejecting wealth and privilege. 

Family Trees

Gospel:  Matthew 1: 1-16, 18-23

In today's Gospel portion we are presented with the family tree of Jesus.  The creator of said ancestry chart goes to great lengths to show that Jesus is both a descendant of Abraham and a descendant of David.  In order to do so, the construction departs from the traditional method of tracing these origins through male ancestors by adding two women to the family tree in order to make it work.  Some generations are skipped entirely in order to maintain the neat 14 generations between significant figures and events.

It all seems like a lot of work to get to Joseph, who is not even Jesus' biological father.  So, why all the fuss?  Jesus is adopted by Joseph, and according to the ancient laws of ancestry the adopted child inherits the lineage of the father.  They now belong to that household and ancestry regardless of actual biological origins.  What is more, that heritage and inheritance can never be taken away.  An adopted child could not be disowned in ancient societies.  

We are all adopted children of God in the same way that Jesus was adopted by Joseph.  Regardless of our bloodlines and family trees, we have all been adopted into the family of God.  We cannot be disowned.  We are part of this great heritage and so heirs of God's kingdom.  We need not have any fear.  We need not spend time creating lineage charts and the like.  Our relationship with God is secure.  The family of God is a safe house for all who accept their adoption.  

Looking to Blame

Gospel: Luke 6: 6-11

In today's Gospel portion, Jesus enters a synagogue for the third time.  The first two encounters did not go well.  In the first instance in his hometown the audience wanted to kill him for saying that God cares for and heals all people.  Last time, he helped a man become free from the demon that possessed him, which made Jesus a suspicious figure.  Now today we find a group coming to find fault with Jesus, looking for something with which they can condemn him.

So, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand.  This action of doing good was apparently forbidden because it was an act of work on the Sabbath, a rule which apparently is more important than doing good to others.  But no matter what Jesus did nor did not do, this group of people would find fault with something he did or did not do or say.  We have seen this dynamic in our own life and in our world.  We cannot and do not find any good in anyone we have deemed unclean in our eyes.  

The suspicions and animus we have toward others prevent us from seeing Jesus in those people.  It prevents us from seeing the good in other people.  Perhaps in spending a Sabbath in the hive mind of our particular congregations, might we instead visit a nursing home, or a hospital ward, or people in prison, and seek to find Jesus present in other people.  The encounter might prove to be a source of healing for them, and for us as well.