George Knocked and the Door Opened. Pentecost 9 Yr C

+George was lying in the oncology unit of the local hospital. 64 years old, body ravaged by cancer, he knew his earthly life was ending. In a voice enfeebled by illness he called out to his daughter who sat nearby. Faintly she made out the words: “I was a lousy father. “ The look of shame sadness and resignation on his face was profound. The daughter came close to him, took his hand and said, “no you weren’t. You did the best you possibly could and I wouldn’t trade you for another father.”

Of course, technically, George was correct---over the course of his life as a father--- he had not been the greatest dad. But he had done the best he could under the circumstances…and, and this is most important of all, he had confronted the demons which haunted him, made amends and was living a good life. What he may have lacked at times as a Dad he was making up for as a grandpa. George, as he lay dying, was a good man and a good father…somehow, his daughter thought, he needs to believe that….because he needs to believe that there is a forgiving God who when Dad arrives in heaven, will say to him. Well done my son, well done. The daughter knew that this fear of being a failure as a dad was causing her father great distress---indeed he was terrified of dying, terrified of having to account for the mistakes he had made. [Somehow, the daughter thought, he needs to know that it’s ok. That all is forgiven.]

Some of you may have already guessed, but the daughter in that story is me, and George? George is my dad who died in 1993. I won’t bore you with all the details, but believe me when I tell you; my father was a good man and a great father. He was also human and he made some really big mistakes but, in the end, on his last day, he had cleaned up his messes and as he lay dying, he had four children and four grandchildren who loved him, forgave him and wanted nothing more than for his struggles and his pain to be over.

Had I known then, that evening a couple of days before he died, what I know now, I would have said, “Dad the God of Hosea[the God in our reading from Hebrew scripture this morning] is the God of those who are afraid, for those who are ashamed for those who feel worthless. The God of today’s Gospel, The God of Jesus is a God of unending forgiveness and grace. A God for those who long for redemption. Dad you have knocked and the door has been opened, you’ve asked and you’ve received.”

Our reading from Hosea is a little disturbing. It depicts a God who threatens to completely abandon Israel. Lo-ruhamah, the name Gomer is to name her daughter means “No Mercy” and Lo-ammi, the name for her son, means “Not My People.” This is one angry bitter God.

Of course, I doubt God really say all that. This is how Hosea imagined God would speak, this is how Hosea believed God would behave because Hosea knew that God’s people had turned their back on the God of their ancestors, and like a parent who has given everything to his child only to have the child reject it all, Hosea imagined that God would react with rage. Who can blame him?—We, as humans, can’t imagine a God who, when we disappoint, when we miss the mark, would never—ever--exact revenge on us, would never –ever--wish us harm, would never—ever-- abandon us. That just isn’t God.

But, that abundant love, that Love which longs to dwell among us, is so difficult for us to understand, so hard to comprehend.

Even with Jesus among them, the disciples still didn’t understand that God so loved them that all they needed to do was knock and the door would be open, all they had to do was have faith and trust that the God of Abraham and Moses, the God of Amos and Hosea, the God of Judith and Esther, the God of John the Baptist and the God of Mary, will always forgive those who ask forgiveness, will always find those who seek and will always love us. Whether we believe it or not.

We don’t deserve that love, we don’t earn that love, and we don’t get that love as a door prize.

We get that love because God wants to give it.

This love is there, just waiting for us to accept it by saying, “take me Lord, for I’m yours.”

That’s what Jesus is teaching us in His prayer---ask God to be with us, ask God to provide and then step back and allow God to do so, remembering that what we want and what God longs for us may not look the same.

Our focus is on what we want, God’s is on what we need.

Our focus is on the temporal while God’s focus is on the eternal. So what we ask for may not be what we get, but it will be what we need.

In that hospital room so many years ago what I witnessed was a man, broken by the temporal and terrified of the eternal, fearing that his actions would bring the wrath of the Hosea God, laying himself bare before the God of Jesus and saying, not my will, but yours. Forgive me what I have done, accept me for who I am and take me, for I am yours.

And you know what? A few days later, as he took his final breaths he was no longer a broken man with regret, he was a man who had been forgiven, healed and renewed. A man who had knocked and had the door opened for him. A man who had asked and then received.

May we all remember that God longs to have us accept The Love which surpasses all understanding. And may we all find the strength to knock on that door. +

Mary and Martha: Two Halves of One

+My parents were great entertainers. Together they had terrific parties, elegant dinners and all in all, they opened our house to any number of social gatherings. Many people attended and more often than not they stayed into the wee hours of the morning. Hospitality was and is very important in the Dempesy family.

But, there was a downside to all that entertaining. As the day of the party got closer, my mom would become increasingly stressed—the house had to be spotless, the food perfect, the table settings, exquisite. I liked the actual parties, but the prep? The prep was stressful, and Mom would become anxious and distracted. A lot like Martha in today’s gospel.

This is a familiar story and one that seems to hold special resonance for women. Because of the way it has been interpreted over the years, many women detest this Gospel. For the more traditional women, their role behind the scenes, in Altar Guilds, St Monica Guilds and the ECW appears to be disregarded and belittled by Jesus. For the more liberal non-traditional women, this Gospel has been irritating because it seems to pit two women against each other.

But, before you say, “I know this story, I have heard it all, can we please move on,” I encourage you to contemplate it for a few moments. To look at it through fresh eyes.

This Gospel, brief as it is, incendiary as the prose may, at first , sound is actually very complex in its presentation. For with these four verses, Luke shows us that there are a number of ways to serve God, and that how we serve God doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that we do, indeed, serve God--- in all we do, at all times and in all places.

Many people interpret this gospel passage to mean that Martha was doing a disservice to Jesus because she failed to drop everything and sit at his feet. That somehow Martha was insutling Jesus while Mary was honoring him.

I don’t think Jesus meant to suggest that Mary’s way was the only way, nor was he suggesting that Martha’s way was the wrong way….I think Jesus was using that moment, when Martha’s anxiety had taken firm hold, to teach us something.

Jesus used this situation to continue his illustration of how we are to live out the two great commandments: Love your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul and Love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus used Martha’s irritation as a teachable moment.

This summer we ‘ve been reading this part of Luke’s gospel—the travel narrative-- sequentially, so this week’s gospel immediately follows last week’s Gospel—the parable of the Good Samaritan---a story in which Jesus implores his followers to be do-ers of the Word not just hear-ers. In that parable the inaction of the priest and the Levite—both considered pious and honorable Jews are criticized while the hospitality—the tangible action of the Samaritan is honored. At the end of that story Jesus simply says, “Go and do like wise.” Go and be do-ers of the Word.

But then this week Jesus, at first blush, appears to be contradicting himself, praising the inaction of Mary who passively sits at his feet to be taught while condemning the action of Martha who’s offering hospitality—Jesus praises the hearer of the word, Mary, while condemning the do-er of the word, Martha. What’s up with that?

But neither Jesus nor Luke is being contradictory. Instead they’re using these two different stories to illuminate how a community of Christians need both do-ers and hear-ers.

We, over the years, have applied our own bias to the story. Somehow we’ve decided that doing all the behind the scenes work—the altar guild, the ECW, the hospitality committees, the coffee hour, is somehow “Less Than.” Less than studying the Bible, learning about liturgy, debating the polity of the church. Somehow we’ve made the hearers of the Word more glamorous than the do ers of the word. What a mistake. How could we forget that all the people who do the little things that make a church run, are vital.

The church is a community of people who with various gifts and focus work—together—to provide a visible and tangible vision of a Kingdom world—a world where love of God and love of neighbor is key.

Both Mary and Martha are acting as disciples in this story. Both Mary and Martha are loving and serving the Lord. Both Mary and Martha are loving thir God with all their heart, all their soul and all their mind, and BOTH of them are loving their neighbor. Mary and Martha are two halves of what is needed to make a household work: their household in Bethany and the household of God. They are two halves of what makes God’s Kingdom work.

There is no problem with Mary hearing the Word and Martha doing the Word. But there is a problem afflicting Martha, a problem familiar to my Mom, a problem familiar to many of us as we navigate our modern world: anxiety, worry and distraction. Through Martha’s effort to love her neighbor as herself, she has become anxious and distracted. While focusing on her tasks, she has lost sight of the goal.

The tasks of hospitality have gotten in the way of being hospitable. When the details of hospitality, the serving of food, the setting of the table [the liturgies, music and preaching] become more important than the welcome and love of neighbor, then we’ve all missed the mark.

In today’s Gospel Jesus was saying to Martha,” what you’ve done is enough, thank you. Now stop and let us be in fellowship.”

It isn’t whether we are a Martha or a Mary----the point is that we are BOTH. To Love and Serve the Lord requires giving and receiving. To love and serve the Lord requires both speaking and listening. To love and serve the Lord requires Marys, Marthas, you and me.

Some of us are do-ers, some of us are hear-ers. Most of us are both. Our task is to take our gifts---and we all gifts—and TOGETHER create a loving and serving community committed to offering a dwelling place to all, a dwelling place where love of God and love of neighbor are embraced and lived. +