Homily from 9/29/2019

Who do I need to talk to before it’s too late?  What do I need to do before it’s too late?  Before we move?  Before I die?  Those are the questions today’s gospel has for me.  What about the lesson a busy young woman named Emma almost missed on the bus she took to the airport on her way to a meeting in London for work.  It was a crisp fall day and she was glad for the bus ride.  She always looked forward to that half-hour ride to collect herself before she faced the long plane ride.  That day would be spent trying to solve people’s problems with the new computer program she had designed.

She found an aisle seat near the front of the bus and sat down to get her thoughts together for the day ahead.  Suddenly the woman sitting next to her turned and said: “I bet it’s cold in Chicago.”  Emma turned curtly said:  “Yes, I guess it is.”  The woman kept asking questions and talking for several minutes.  The woman finally said, “I’m going to Chicago to bring back my husband.  We were married 52 years and he died suddenly.   I’m bringing his body back.”

Emma put her book down and looked her in the eye this time.  She reached out and held the old woman’s hand.  They talked and talked.  Soon the bell sounded for Emma’s stop.  She collected her coat and carry-on bag and stood up.  A young man took the seat where she had been.  Soon the old woman turned to him and said, “I bet it’s cold in Chicago.”  All Emma could do was say a little prayer hoping that the young man would pay attention to her.

We’re all rich, aren’t we?  We all have family and friends we can count on.  We have our education, even about the history of women’s ordination.  We are finding ways to live our belief in justice for all.
On the other hand, we’re all kind of poor.  We need help.  We need to be healed.  We keep finding new areas where we’ve been caught up in our own wants, big and little. 

Today’s other two readings have the same theme.  Amos warns his listeners not to be like those who live in luxury, gloating over their self-importance, unaware that the vast majority of people are poor.
The First Letter to Timothy, probably written by a disciple of the Apostle Paul, takes a different tack.  His advice to the wealthy is to “put their hopes in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”  The eighteenth-century preacher, John Wesley, interprets vv. 17-19 by saying, “’ The love of money’ we know, ‘is the root of all evil’; but not the thing itself.  The fault does not lie in the money but in them that use it…”

Think of all the good things that money can do, like pay for a trip to the Symphony.  The money then spreads out to the players and their families, to the children who participate in the symphony’s special programs for them.  This helps children of all economic groups appreciate beautiful music.  
What about using some money for supporting young people, especially women, so they can study for the priesthood.  Of course, there are lots of groups that serve those in need that call to us for help.
On the other hand, we can waste money, thinking of ourselves first, complaining about how charities waste funds as an excuse not to take the time to give to any of them.

The best way is to live life in a spirit of gratitude.  That will guide our use of our money, our time and our attention.  Yes, “I bet it is cold in Chicago!”

Let’s back up a little.  How do you see money as the root of all evil?
What are your thoughts on positive ways to use money?

Maria Thornton McClain, RCWP

Homily from 9/15/2019

Wow. What a big set of readings for a first homily!

First, we have a reading where women cry out to Moses for justice. Today we might think of how it feels to lose a dad. Along with those complex emotions, these women lost their very name and their land. They lost their belonging. Without a father or brother, they were treated like non-entities. Men and clan tradition may have been confused about who was entitled to inheritance, but not God. God told Moses, “The women are right. Don’t deny what is theirs. See that they receive their heritage.” This is big! When men said, “No, daughters can’t.” Daughters stood up in protest, “We DO belong! This is ours, too!” And God stands with them. How might we be affected by that thought today?

Next, we have Paul’s first letter to Timothy. The reality is, we all have painful moments in our lives we just can’t escape - but we can still discover ourselves in the arms of God’s grace. For Paul, here, his message to Timothy is direct and clear. “This is what I want you to know about the Christ! Jesus came to welcome all who are lost.” 

So let’s talk about who’s lost! (It just might be everyone.) In the Gospels, the Pharisees complain that Jesus is eating with tax collectors. Now, the Pharisees were one of three dominant Jewish sects during Jesus’ lifetime. They held popularity with average Jews, and they believed in the written accounts of Moses (Torah) as well as the idea that God continues to reveal truths through oral tradition. This made them different than Saduccees (who were wealthy and believed only in written Torah) and the Essenes, who believed the Pharisees and Saduccees had corrupted the temple and moved out to the desert. 

So if we look at the situation Jesus was facing, he was surrounded by lost and hurting people - people who couldn’t quite agree on belonging, and who were heavily oppressed under the boot of the Roman Empire! In fact, the charge against tax collectors was that they were aiding Rome. So what does Jesus do? He tells stories! Stories about a lost sheep and a shepherd, a lost coin and a woman, and a father and son who have a broken relationship.

Many of you have heard these stories dozens of times. You may have heard the shepherd and the father preached as images of God - the ones who seek the lost and welcome home a wayward child. Let’s not forget that if these are images of God, so too is the woman who sweeps her house! Jesus applied the imago dei to a woman, along with a dirty shepherd, and a father who might not be as perfect as we may have been led to believe. 

What is Jesus saying about Where God Lives? Is God in the purity laws that keep people “in” and “out” of social and religious graces? Is it possible when we read these stories that God is the spirit that prompts the search for all that is lost? Sheep scatter when they are afraid; they run from wolves; they wander in search of food when they are hungry; they hide when they realize they are alone. They scatter when their shepherd isn’t paying attention - or perhaps is overwhelmed with the task of caring for the full flock. Have you ever felt like the sheep in this story? What about the shepherd? 

As for the coin - let’s be honest. Coins don’t lose themselves! When they fall into couch cushions, or roll between floorboards, it’s not their fault! The woman knows this. She searches for the one that has been neglected, misplaced, ill-treated. Oh, and when she finds it - just like the shepherd, she rejoices! And then we have our prodigal son. What’s happening here? First of all, let’s realize that when the son tells his father, “just give me my inheritance now,” he’s telling his father, “I wish you were dead.” Give me my share of the estate, and I’m gone. And - the father just gives it to him! Imagine him sending him off, “Get out of my sight.” What does it take for a father and son to separate like this? 

We’ve always been told the son is the ill-behaved one. He leaves and squanders his inheritance - but the father gave the inheritance without a fight. Fine. Go. Leave! Unlike the first two stories, the father doesn’t go out and search for his son! If the spirit of God is that which searches for what is lost, we might find that spirit in the Son! Have you ever had a relationship that was so hurtful, the only way you could continue breathing, heal, and find YOURSELF was to leave? What if that is the son’s case?
 
Have you ever had an experience where it was only after losing something precious that you discovered how valuable it was? What if this is the father’s plight? What if in the time it took for the son to find himself, the father also discovered himself? He saw his son in the distance and rejoiced!! The son apologized, the father kissed him and wrapped him in his finest robe, and proclaimed, “oh this son of mine was dead but he has come to life again, he was lost and has been found!” 

What if the father is saying, “Dear child, I won’t squander YOU anymore. I need you to know how much I love you. Tell me what you discovered out there, and let’s do better together this time.” What if God is the energy between the two proclaiming repentance in the true sense of the biblical word - to have a change of mind and heart. And if that is the case - oh, our poor older son. He never risked a thing. He did the hard work. He obeyed his father’s rules. His younger brother was the one who abandoned them all - and yet he gets lavished with affection unlike anything the older brother has ever felt. And his father says, “You are here with me always. Everything I have is yours.”

Ouch. What must this be like for the older brother? To live in abundance, but not really feel it, or experience it, or be grateful for it. To feel bitter to the point that anger festers when dad slaughters a fattened calf for brother, who came home starving - willing to work as a servant just to be fed from scraps.

Who is lost? Who is found? Where is God? 
What do you think? ​

Angela Meyer