The Invitation List

Gospel: Luke 14: 1, 7-14

We all dream of hosting dinner parties where we are able to invite the rich, the powerful, the celebrity.  Consider for a moment the fact that none of these people need the meal, for they are well-fed.  They do not need your company because everyone wants to be around them.  They may attend your dinner party, but only to see who else is there and what benefit those present may have on preserving their wealth, power, and status.  Such parties are transactional in nature; they are in no way communal or nourishing for the soul.

Now consider inviting the poor and marginalized to a meal.  Here is a group of people probably in need of the meal itself.  More importantly, they are also in need of human companionship and love.  No one invites them anywhere.  To have some time of genuine human interaction would mean the world to them.  The entire meal experience would in fact do great good for them in body, mind, and spirit.  It is a shame that they will not likely receive such an invitation and have such an experience...

Which dinner party do our churches resemble?  More often it is the former, as we are constantly in need of selling time shares in our pews to pay the vast sums needed to maintain our structures.  We want the rich and powerful so that our church can have influence and status in the world, for what is unclear.  For if we are not about the welcome of the poor and marginalized in our church buildings, it is not likely we are using whatever influence we have for their behalf with the rich and powerful whose company - and money - we so crave. 

Living in Love or Fear

Gospel: Matthew 25: 14-30

Today's Gospel portion reflects two very different visions and understandings of God.  The first two men see God, represented in the owner, as one who trusts them and empowers them to go about doing good with the talents provided to them.  So, each one to the best of their ability use these talents in order to earn even more for the owner.  Their vision of God as loving and trusting propelled them to take risks and expand the resources of the kingdom.

By contrast, the second understanding of God sees him as a vengeful, wrathful God who takes every opportunity to find fault.  So, we approach this God in fear, which inhibits our ability to use our talents effectively.  Instead of taking risks and working to expand the kingdom, we bury the talents in the ground, keeping it all for ourselves.  We give back what we have given without any growth or profit for anyone.  Fear stunts growth.

Which vision of God will be our own? We can continue to live in fear - fear of God, fear of others - and continue to stunt our growth, the growth of others, and of the kingdom.  Or we can live in love, using those talents to profit ourselves and others, thereby growing the kingdom of God.  The way in which we view and approach God is the same one we use in viewing and approaching other people.  That view affects the actions we perform and the world in which we live. 

Misplaced Trust

Gospel: Mark 6: 17-29

Throughout the scriptures we can find repeated exhortations not to trust princes and political leaders.  Today's feast reminds us in stark terms why that is the case.  Herod respected John the Baptist, but not enough to spare his life or release him from prison.  Herod's power, his pride, and standing with family and friends were all more important than John's life and the truth that he carried within him.  We will see this same dynamic repeated between Pilate and Jesus.

But some will object: that won't happen when "the right people" are put in office (here read: our people, or us).  Yet the entire Old Testament stands as a via negativa of what not to do.  Israel became a kingdom and was no better than other kingdoms.  The so-called glories of Christendom were filled with bloodshed, torture, and adultery.  And each time the episcopacy anoints a new strong man regime to allegedly safeguard the interests of the Church it ends in disaster not long after the oil has dried.  

The world is a desert and it is our lot to pass through it as pilgrims caring for one another along the way.  The desert is composed of sand where nothing of permanence can be built, for our permanence lies in our destination.  Mirages and sirens will seek to lure us away with promises of comfort and security and strength of political leaders.  But these are lies.  Our citizenship is heaven, and our only comfort and security is the Lord Jesus, his love and example.