Year A
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16
Philippians 2:1-13
Matthew 21:23-32
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the words of my mouth O God\u2026\u00a0 speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was in school\u2026 I disliked quizzes and tests\u2026 especially POP quizzes\u2026 unleashed on unsuspecting students by teachers who we thought could be nothing less than mean\u2026 but who really just wanted to see if we were keeping up with the classwork\u2026 we had one of those POP quizzes one day in Hebrew school\u2026 on vocabulary words\u2026 the teacher went up and down the rows\u2026 speaking one of the words in Hebrew\u2026 and we had to say what it was in English\u2026 I hadn’t been keeping up\u2026 and when I was next\u2026 when it was my turn\u2026 the teacher said\u2026 anee lo anaynee<\/em>\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anee lo anaynee<\/em>\u2026 but this wasn’t just one word\u2026 it seemed to be three\u2026 and they could mean almost anything\u2026 and I didn’t have a clue\u2026 but I scoured my memory\u2026 hoping the right synapse would fire and the meaning would be revealed to me\u2026 I can’t remember for sure\u2026 but I may even have made one of those promises that students make\u2026 that if only God would reveal the correct answer to me\u2026 I would\u2026 you know\u2026 behave better\u2026 or something like that\u2026 but nothing came\u2026 and finally\u2026 in a moment of mortified vulnerability\u2026 I acknowledged my lack of preparation\u2026 and said\u2026 sheepishly I’m sure\u2026 I don’t know<\/em>\u2026 and the teacher said\u2026 very good<\/em>\u2026 and moved on to Marlene\u2026 who was sitting behind me\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Israelites are quarreling with Moses again\u2026 complaining against him again\u2026 last week it was about meat and bread\u2026 this time it’s about water\u2026 and Moses is exasperated\u2026 he fears for his physical safety\u2026 and he turns to God\u2026 and after God comes through… and provides their needed water\u2026 Moses named the place Meribah and Massah\u2026 because they quarreled\u2026 and tested God\u2026 and asked\u2026 Is the Lord with us or not<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wonder how many of us have asked that question\u2026 ] like the Israelites\u2026 we may tend to ask it when things aren’t going so well\u2026 Up until now God has been with us\u2026 but now that things have not gone our way\u2026 we don’t know<\/em>\u2026 and while we know that God sustains us in many ways\u2026 and may understand intellectually that God doesn’t thrust God’s protecting hand down into the middle of the messes we’ve gotten ourselves into\u2026 on an emotional level we might just as easily at least think to ourselves\u2026 but I want a God who protects me from myself\u2026 who intervenes and keeps the fruits of my actions\u2026 or inactions\u2026 from coming to me\u2026 I want a God who is with me in the ways I want<\/u> God to be with me\u2026 and not in the ways that God wants<\/u> to be with me<\/em>\u2026 and so we must ask whether we want God to be there for us\u2026 or whether we’re willing to be there for God\u2026 and some of the ways we do this second thing\u2026 . are through self-emptying\u2026 humility\u2026 and obedience\u2026 qualities which we find listed in our epistle from Philippians…<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first book listed in the Christian Bible\u2026 or New Testament as many call it\u2026 is the Gospel of Matthew\u2026 but the book which was written first\u2026 the earliest book is 1 Thessalonians\u2026 and the hymn in today’s epistle was written even before that\u2026 verses 5-11 from today’s passage are called The Hymn of Christ\u2026 because scholars tell us that they record an actual hymn which was sung in worship by the earliest church\u2026 and scholars who have tried to work out the rhythm of the hymn\u2026 considering some of Paul’s concerns\u2026 have suspected that Paul placed the last part of verse eight\u2026 even death on a cross<\/em>\u2026 into the hymn he did not write\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Temple leaders ask Jesus by what authority he’s doing these things\u2026 by whose authority\u2026 they’re probably asking for the name of his teacher\u2026 and what they’re referring to\u2026 is that the day before\u2026 Jesus cleansed the Temple\u2026 he turned over the tables\u2026 and drove out the money changers\u2026 Just who does he think he is<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus’ question to them\u2026 ups the ante<\/em>\u2026 did the baptism of John come from heaven\u2026 or was it of human origin\u2026 John Shea writes\u2026 instead of answering the question honestly\u2026 they gauge how whatever they say will be received\u2026 their real concern is not about John’s authority\u2026 but about their own\u2026 and they cannot answer Jesus’ question without calling their own authority into question\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they say John’s authority was from heaven\u2026 they have to account for the fact that they didn’t give credence to it\u2026 and if they say John’s authority was of human origin\u2026 the crowds will turn against them\u2026 in either case\u2026 they don’t look good\u2026 and looking good is essential\u2026 it’s a form of perfectionism\u2026 even the fact that they say they don’t know\u2026 makes them look bad\u2026 they are religious authorities who ought to know\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theologian Charles Campbell writes\u2026 even Jesus’ question about John’s authority\u2026 is essentially the same as their question about his own\u2026 to identify one is to identify the other\u2026 in making a commitment about John’s authority\u2026 the religious leaders would also be making a commitment about John’s witness to Jesus\u2026 and thus to Jesus’ authority\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n So Jesus tells a parable about a man with two sons\u2026 and he asks them to go work in the vineyard\u2026 the first says No but does Yes\u2026 the second says Yes but does No\u2026 when Jesus asks them which of the two did the will of his Father\u2026 they said the first\u2026 but Jesus isn’t interested only in the answer\u2026 but in how they got there\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The religious leaders\u2026 like many of us\u2026 value action over words\u2026 doing what the Father commanded is obedience to his will\u2026 but the first son also changed his mind\u2026 and Jesus wants to help the Temple leaders understand that it was a change of mind that brought the first son to obedient action\u2026 and both John the Baptist and Jesus have emphasized that metanoia<\/em>\u2026 a change of mind\u2026 is needed to enter the Kingdom of God\u2026 and Jesus says the last will be first\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Shea wrote\u2026 by profession\u2026 the chief priests and elders of the people are expected to be close to God\u2026 and by profession\u2026 tax collectors and prostitutes are thought to be far from God\u2026 but when the tax collectors and prostitutes heard John\u2026 they repented\u2026 they changed their minds and began to live in a new way\u2026 the chief priests and elders did not\u2026 their endorsement of the first son\u2026 is a judgment on themselves\u2026 because they are the second son\u2026 who says Yes\u2026 but does No\u2026 and they cannot change their minds\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all grasp for equality with God\u2026 but Paul encourages the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling\u2026 the hymn encourages us to grasp self-emptying\u2026 and implies that\u2026 like the first son\u2026 and the Israelites\u2026 it’s OK to test God as long as we eventually come around\u2026 because we are reconciled with God by giving up our power and privilege\u2026 and the hesitation\u2026 the resistance to that change\u2026 comes from the world’s belief that in doing so\u2026 one lets go of perfectionism\u2026 and embraces shame\u2026 but there is a more subtle and grace-filled moment in between letting go of one’s No\u2026 and embracing one’s Yes\u2026 because in that moment\u2026 one lets go of one’s own authority\u2026 of one’s own will\u2026 and can choose to take hold of God’s authority\u2026 and God’s will\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We narrowly missed\u2026 dare I say escaped\u2026 a government shut-down at 12:01 this morning\u2026 on the surface\u2026 it seems to be about an inability for everyone to agree on what’s important\u2026 but below the surface\u2026 it seems more about an inability to relinquish one’s sense of agency in favor of the common good\u2026 the 45-day stop-gap measure includes natural disaster aid\u2026 but no additional funding for childcare or Ukraine or border security\u2026 and I wonder if there were any politicians who changed their minds\u2026 who were willing to relinquish their authority\u2026 unlike the Temple leaders\u2026 or any who thought their vote would spare them from some form of shame\u2026 and I pray… as I prayed in Hebrew school\u2026 do we pray now for God to reveal the right answers to us\u2026 so that maybe we don’t need to ask\u2026 Is the Lord with us or not<\/em>\u2026 but know that we\u2026 collectively as a nation\u2026 are with God\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year AExodus 17:1-7Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16Philippians 2:1-13Matthew 21:23-32 May the words of my mouth O God\u2026\u00a0 speak your truth\u2026 When I was in school\u2026 I disliked quizzes and tests\u2026 especially POP quizzes\u2026 unleashed on unsuspecting students by teachers who we thought could be nothing less than mean\u2026 but who really just wanted to see if we were keeping up with the classwork\u2026 we had one of those POP quizzes one day in Hebrew school\u2026 on vocabulary words\u2026 the teacher went up and down the rows\u2026 speaking one of the words in Hebrew\u2026 and we had to say what it was in English\u2026 I hadn’t been keeping up\u2026 and when I was next\u2026 when it was my turn\u2026 the teacher said\u2026 anee lo anaynee\u2026 Anee lo anaynee\u2026 but this wasn’t just one word\u2026 it seemed to be three\u2026 and they could mean almost anything\u2026 and I didn’t have a clue\u2026 but I scoured my memory\u2026 hoping the right synapse would fire and the meaning would be revealed to me\u2026 I can’t remember for sure\u2026 but I may even have made one of those promises that students make\u2026 that if only God would reveal the correct answer to me\u2026 I would\u2026 you know\u2026 behave better\u2026 or something like that\u2026 but nothing came\u2026 and finally\u2026 in a moment of mortified vulnerability\u2026 I acknowledged my lack of preparation\u2026 and said\u2026 sheepishly I’m sure\u2026 I don’t know\u2026 and the teacher said\u2026 very good\u2026 and moved on to Marlene\u2026 who was sitting behind me\u2026 The Israelites are quarreling with Moses again\u2026 complaining against him again\u2026 last week it was about meat and bread\u2026 this time it’s about water\u2026 and Moses is exasperated\u2026 he fears for his physical safety\u2026 and he turns to God\u2026 and after God comes through… and provides their needed water\u2026 Moses named the place Meribah and Massah\u2026 because they quarreled\u2026 and tested God\u2026 and asked\u2026 Is the Lord with us or not\u2026 I wonder how many of us have asked that question\u2026 ] like the Israelites\u2026 we may tend to ask it when things aren’t going so well\u2026 Up until now God has been with us\u2026 but now that things have not gone our way\u2026 we don’t know\u2026 and while we know that God sustains us in many ways\u2026 and may understand intellectually that God doesn’t thrust God’s protecting hand down into the middle of the messes we’ve gotten ourselves into\u2026 on an emotional level we might just as easily at least think to ourselves\u2026 but I want a God who protects me from myself\u2026 who intervenes and keeps the fruits of my actions\u2026 or inactions\u2026 from coming to me\u2026 I want a God who is with me in the ways I want God to be with me\u2026 and not in the ways that God wants to be with me\u2026 and so we must ask whether we want God to be there for us\u2026 or whether we’re willing to be there for God\u2026 and some of the ways we do this second thing\u2026 . are through self-emptying\u2026 humility\u2026 and obedience\u2026 qualities which we find listed in our epistle from Philippians… The first book listed in the Christian Bible\u2026 or New Testament as many call it\u2026 is the Gospel of Matthew\u2026 but the book which was written first\u2026 the earliest book is 1 Thessalonians\u2026 and the hymn in today’s epistle was written even before that\u2026 verses 5-11 from today’s passage are called The Hymn of Christ\u2026 because scholars tell us that they record an actual hymn which was sung in worship by the earliest church\u2026 and scholars who have tried to work out the rhythm of the hymn\u2026 considering some of Paul’s concerns\u2026 have suspected that Paul placed the last part of verse eight\u2026 even death on a cross\u2026 into the hymn he did not write\u2026 The Temple leaders ask Jesus by what authority he’s doing these things\u2026 by whose authority\u2026 they’re probably asking for the name of his teacher\u2026 and what they’re referring to\u2026 is that the day before\u2026 Jesus cleansed the Temple\u2026 he turned over the tables\u2026 and drove out the money changers\u2026 Just who does he think he is\u2026 Jesus’ question to them\u2026 ups the ante\u2026 did the baptism of John come from heaven\u2026 or was it of human origin\u2026 John Shea writes\u2026 instead of answering the question honestly\u2026 they gauge how whatever they say will be received\u2026 their real concern is not about John’s authority\u2026 but about their own\u2026 and they cannot answer Jesus’ question without calling their own authority into question\u2026 If they say John’s authority was from heaven\u2026 they have to account for the fact that they didn’t give credence to it\u2026 and if they say John’s authority was of human origin\u2026 the crowds will turn against them\u2026 in either case\u2026 they don’t look good\u2026 and looking good is essential\u2026 it’s a form of perfectionism\u2026 even the fact that they say they don’t know\u2026 makes them look bad\u2026 they are religious authorities who ought to know\u2026 Theologian Charles Campbell writes\u2026 even Jesus’ question about John’s authority\u2026 is essentially the same as their question about his own\u2026 to identify one is to identify the other\u2026 in making a commitment about John’s authority\u2026 the religious leaders would also be making a commitment about John’s witness to Jesus\u2026 and thus to Jesus’ authority\u2026 So Jesus tells a parable about a man with two sons\u2026 and he asks them to go work in the vineyard\u2026 the first says No but does Yes\u2026 the second says Yes but does No\u2026 when Jesus asks them which of the two did the will of his Father\u2026 they said the first\u2026 but Jesus isn’t interested only in the answer\u2026 but in how they got there\u2026 The religious leaders\u2026 like many of us\u2026 value action over words\u2026 doing what the Father commanded is obedience to his will\u2026 but the first son also changed his mind\u2026 and Jesus wants to help the Temple leaders understand that it was a change of mind that brought the first son to obedient 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