Morton Presbyterian Church

What did Jesus mean: “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last”? The parable of the vineyard owner who paid the last hired just as much as he paid those who had worked all day can be tough to take. Like Jonah we still wish people would get what they deserve, or at least not get what they don’t deserve. Jesus models for us how to take our focus off where we stand in the line, how we rank compared to others, and to put the focus on God’s desire to lavish grace on everyone. As the line moves through the gate into God’s kingdom, we can actively help others get there, like holding a door open to let others enter first.

Jesus’ disciples wanted to know who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. He answered by placing a little child among them, and calling them to aspire to the way of humility instead of the way of greatness. The little ones like this child are the greatest in his eyes. Whoever welcomes one of the little ones welcomes him. It’s clear the the kingdom of heaven is not a bigger, greater version of the kingdoms of the earth. It is something else altogether.

Middle-aged Moses was doing well at minding his own business when God grabbed his attention. God reignited an old flame, Moses’ passion for justice. What makes your heart burn with concern, compassion, mercy, and love?

King David welcomed Mephibosheth, the grandson of his archenemy Saul, to dine at his table always. He made Mephibosheth, whose name “Bosheth” means shame, a member of his own family. King Jesus welcomes all into his family to eat at his table always. As Jesus’ critics put it, “He welcomes sinners and even eats with them!”

The followers of Jesus unleash the power of life by putting our own lives on the line. This is what it means to take up our cross. Like Shiprah and Puah, the midwives of Israel, we put our lives on the line to conspire against injustice and every destructive power, and for the abundant life God gives.

When Jesus' disciples are in trouble on the water, Jesus plunges into the middle of the chaos. He takes the direct route to them through the stormy sea. He fulfills the promise of Isaiah 43: "When you go through the waters, I will be with you; when you walk through the fire, I will be with you." He is with us everywhere. This sermon includes allusions to the story of the three men in the fiery furnace in Daniel 3.

Why do we persist in thinking that the little something we have to offer is nothing? Like the five pieces of bread and two fish that in Jesus's hands became enough to feed many hungry people, in Jesus's hands what we have to offer becomes enough to make a difference. He invites us to turn away from the myth of scarcity.

Up until the wrestling match with the mysterious being at the Jabbok River, Jacob strutted through life, grabbing what he wanted. In the darkness, however, this being grabbed Jacob, touched him in a vulnerable spot, and left him walking much more tentatively and humbly. Yet he was also profoundly blessed and bore a new name: Israel. It turned out that God was in the struggle. God's grace and power can turn the struggle of the darkness into a blessing: compassion that we can offer others. It can turn us into children of Israel. It can turn us into people who do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

Jacob's family was a mess. Yet God chose to work out God's purposes in this very flawed family. God still chooses to work through flawed, sinful, weak, messy people, messy families, and messy churches. In this particular story, Leah, the wife that Jacob doesn't want, becomes the ancient mother of the priestly and royal lines of Israel and Judah, and of the Messiah himself. Listen for the allusion to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31: God chooses what is foolish and weak in human eyes.

A joyous mountaintop is not the only place where heaven and earth touch, and God makes God's presence known. Heaven and earth also touch in the rocky wilderness, where God comes in the dead of night, in a time of great struggle and uncertainty. This was what Jacob discovered in a dream as he slept on a bed of rocks in the wilderness. He saw an incline connecting heaven and earth in that place, and recognized the presence of God. The hard place became Bethel, which means "House if God."

Like a weed that can't be eradicated, like yeast that won't stop fermenting until it has permeated the whole lump of dough, like the word of God that never returns empty, God's reign is unstoppable. We can be unstoppable citizens of that reign.

A weedy field is an apt way to describe the messy mix of life together. As in Jesus' parable, it is tempting to try to eliminate the weeds, but that can't be done without devastating collateral damage. Only God can sort out the mess, the good from the bad, the light from the dark. And God will do that, in God's own time and way. We had best keep our hoes, weedeaters, roundup sprayers and other weeding tools in the shed.

There will be a harvest. That is the promise of the parable of the seed and the soils. Though large amounts of seed seem wasted, some fall on fertile ground, germinate, take root, and bring forth an amazing harvest. The farmer's labor is not in vain. Failure is not the end of the parable, it's not the end of Jesus's story, and it's not the end of our story. The Lord of the harvest is none other than the God of the resurrection.

Through his loving Spirit, Jesus creates the beloved community of his friends, who love one another and the world as he does. Those in the beloved community have a profound regard for each other's wellbeing, and for the wellbeing of all people. All are welcome and cherished in the beloved community. This sermon also draws from Jesus' command to love in John 13:33-35 and 15:12-15. You can find the David Brooks column that is mentioned here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/opinion/giving-away-your-billion-warren-buffett.html

Jesus sends his disciples out to be agents of healing. We really can make a difference for others. We have the call, the authority, and the power to help ease pain, to support and help people to cope, and even to prevent some forms of suffering. The church has the power to enfold people in the healing arms of Jesus, and to welcome all in his name.

What does Paul mean by "discerning the body" in communion? He reminds the church at Corinth and us that holy communion unites us not only with Christ himself, but also with all the members of his body. To practice the sacrament in a worthy way, we must show consideration, honor, and love for others in the body, including children.

The very nature of God is living love, flowing from one person of the Trinity to the others and back again. This love is so great that it flows out to create a universe, and welcomes all creation into the circle of love. There is a place for each one of us in that circle. This sermon speaks of the Trinity icon by Andrew Rublev which you can view here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_(Andrei_Rublev). See also William Paul Young's representation of the Trinity in his book The Shack.

Like the outpouring of wind and fire at Pentecost, the outpouring of water in baptism points to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit washes over us like waves of water engulfing us. God's Spirit moves like a powerful wind, blowing all around us, making it hard to hold on to our hats, pushing us along. God's Spirit touches us like a bright flame, setting our souls on fire.

The call to baptize in Matthew 28 is more than an instruction on how to perform a baptism ceremony. It is a call to the baptized to pour out the blessings of baptism on all people so they can experience how good God is. Jesus sends the church out to wet the world with soothing, healing, gospel water, to soak the world in the outrageous, unlimited, unending love of Jesus, to offer the cup of living water to a desperately thirsty world, and to be the channel through which God's justice can flow down like waters.

Jesus is our way, our truth, and our life, but he is also our home. We are safe at home with Jesus in life, and in death, and in the life to come.