There are two versions of this sermon, the first is for Good Shepherd, the second is for Ascension
+Today’s gospel isn’t pretty, it isn’t easy and it isn’t light. But it is really really good.
Let me set the stage for you: Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem to face what is sure to be a violent and tragic end. He’s had three years to preach his message of a “new way.” For three years he’s challenged the status quo, uprooted the traditions of the faith and ticked off almost all the religious leaders of his day. All of his teaching and preaching has come down to this confrontation: a rag tag group of country folk following an itinerant, blasphemous rabbi from Nazareth against the well-heeled, firmly entrenched religious bureaucrats of the temple. It's the established versus the itinerant, it’s the tony vs. the smelly, it’s the old vs. the new. The tradition of the temple vs the way of Jesus Christ .
You see, somewhere along the line, the temple authorities had gotten lost. They’d become all about the power of their position rather than the honor of their position. Somewhere along the line, the prestige of their titles became far more important than their actual vocations. The temple authorities remind me a lot of the previous pope, Benedict, while Jesus reminds me a lot of the current pope, Francis. Benedict liked the finer things in life and was not afraid of flaunting thousand dollar shoes and ermine collared copes… … while Francis likes the simpler things in life, a common sedan instead of a limo, simple white vestments instead of gold lame’.
Benedict was drawn to the seclusion and protection of the Vatican while Francis seems drawn to the ghettos and the slums.
Jesus was all about the ghettos and the slums….
And that made him a huge threat to the temple leaders. You see they could handle Jesus wanting to take over their jobs—that was a threat they could manage—what threw them for a loop was Jesus’ complete disgust, disdain and fury for all that they valued: prestige, the pomp and the circumstance.
Jesus'. disgust, disdain and fury was triggered by the moneychangers in the temple. When he sees the commerce associated with temple worship he LOSES HIS MIND.
Offended, the temple authorities confront him asking Jesus; in no uncertain terms just who does he think he is?
The parables of the Vineyards, which we've heard these past few weeks, are Jesus’ responses to them.
Now, The actual vineyard part of today’s Gospel, when read through our Christian perspective seems pretty straightforward---God has given us charge over all of creation and we’ve pretty much mucked it up…going so far as to kill the very Son of God, God's greatest gift to us---as I said, pretty standard Christian stuff…it's what comes after the parable that, for me, is the real meat of today’s Gospel.
When Jesus reminds the leaders of this line from psalm 118, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;" he's saying, “you reject me, but it's through me that a completely different temple will be built. A temple without stone or wall, a temple without roof or floor. A temple that will exist within and between people, a temple of community, a temple of love and faith and good will, a temple open to all who feel drawn to it, —no exceptions—a temple made up of people who together do their best to care for God’s vineyard here on earth.
Jesus is telling them that they've lost their way that they've forgotten God’s message of love, as outlined in the ten commandments we just heard a few minutes ago.
It happens all the time, in business, in politics, in schools and in families –we lose our way when we become enamored with our power instead of humbled by our responsibility.
It happens in faith communities all the time, too: the love of power subverts the love of God. The love of "things" distracts us from the work God calls us to do. A stained glass window becomes more important than caring for the children depicted within it, the love of an organ becomes more important than the songs of praise to God it plays, the love of sitting in the pew and listening to scintillating sermons becomes more important than walking out these doors to do the work we’ve been given to do. No matter how good our intentions, it's so easy to lose our way, to forget that we--- each and everyone of us--- has been entrusted with the work of God.
Another name for this is stewardship.
It’s easy to confuse funding building maintenance and programs with real down and dirty ministry. What Jesus is saying to the temple leaders and to us is "don’t confuse the means with the end." Yes we need to pay our bills, yes we need to keep our physical plant operational, yes we have salaries, but those things are not the end, those things are the means through which people become connected to God in this community of faith.
Stewardship is all about connections—connections between those of us here today, connections to those who came before us, connections to those who are yet to come.
Connections to God.
And, above all else, Stewardship is about honoring God’s connection with us.
When we say I am Good Shepherd you are Good Shepherd we are Good Shepherd we are naming those connections, we are honoring them. For when we say we're Good Shepherd we're really saying, we are God's fully completely and forever.
Unlike the Temple leaders, we know that it’s the connections through relationships and not the trappings of buildings and status that bring us ever closer to realizing the love of God, which is beyond all reason and surpasses all understanding.
And for that we say Amen.+
And the Ascension version:
+Today’s gospel isn’t pretty, it isn’t easy and it isn’t light. But it is really really good.
Let me set the stage for you: Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem to face what is sure to be a violent and tragic end. He’s had three years to preach his message of a “new way.” For three years he’s challenged the status quo, uprooted the traditions of the faith and ticked off almost all the religious leaders of his day. All of his teaching and preaching has come down to this confrontation: a rag tag group of country folk following an itinerant, blasphemous rabbi from Nazareth against the well-heeled, firmly entrenched religious bureaucrats of the temple. It's the established versus the itinerant, it’s the tony vs. the smelly, it’s the old vs. the new. The tradition of the temple vs the way of Jesus Christ .
You see, somewhere along the line, the temple authorities had gotten lost. They’d become all about the power of their position rather than the honor of their position. Somewhere along the line, the prestige of their titles became far more important than their actual vocations. The temple authorities remind me a lot of the previous pope, Benedict, while Jesus reminds me a lot of the current pope, Francis. Benedict liked the finer things in life and was not afraid of flaunting thousand dollar shoes and ermine collared copes… … while Francis likes the simpler things in life, a common sedan instead of a limo, simple white vestments instead of gold lame’.
Benedict was drawn to the seclusion and protection of the Vatican while Francis seems drawn to the ghettos and the slums.
Jesus was all about the ghettos and the slums….
And that made him a huge threat to the temple leaders. You see they could handle Jesus wanting to take over their jobs—that was a threat they could manage—what threw them for a loop was Jesus’ complete disgust, disdain and fury for all that they valued: prestige, the pomp and the circumstance.
Jesus' disgust, disdain and fury was triggered by the moneychangers in the temple. When Jesus sees the commerce associated with temple worship he LOSES HIS MIND.
Offended, the temple authorities confront him asking Jesus; in no uncertain terms just who does he think he is?
The parables of the Vineyards, which we've heard these past few weeks, are Jesus’ responses to them.
Now, The actual vineyard part of today’s Gospel, when read through our Christian perspective seems pretty straightforward---God has given us charge over all of creation and we’ve pretty much mucked it up…going so far as to kill the very Son of God, God's greatest gift to us---as I said, pretty standard Christian stuff…it's what comes after the parable that, for me, is the real meat of today’s Gospel.
When Jesus reminds the leaders of this line from psalm 118, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;" he's saying, “you reject me, but it's through me that a completely different temple will be built. A temple without stone or wall, a temple without roof or floor. A temple that will exist within and between people, a temple of community, a temple of love and faith and good will, a temple open to all who feel drawn to it, —no exceptions—a temple made up of people who together do their best to care for God’s vineyard here on earth.
Jesus is telling them that they've lost their way that they've forgotten God’s message of love, as outlined in the ten commandments we just heard a few minutes ago.
It happens all the time, in business, in politics, in schools and in families –we lose our way when we become enamored with our power instead of humbled by our responsibility.
It happens in faith communities all the time, too: the love of power subverts the love of God. The love of "things" distracts us from the work God calls us to do. A stained glass window becomes more important than caring for the children depicted within it, the love of an organ becomes more important than the songs of praise to God it plays, the love of an address becomes more important than the work that waits for us outside these doors. No matter how good our intentions, especially for Ascension in the coming months, it's easy to lose our way, to forget that we have a job to do—a job given to us by God.
Sometimes this work isn’t easy. Such is the task ahead of us. Saying good-bye to this building will be difficult, BUT, what has strengthened us in this process and what will sustain us through our transition, are the relationships, the connections we have with each other. Many of you said it last week, what Ascension means to you isn’t our address, it’s us. You. Me. Us.
Our connections define who we are.
Connections between those of us here today, Connections to those who came before us, Connections to those who are yet to come.
Connections to God.
I’m not one bit worried about how we, as a community, will do with this move.
Why? Because our connections are mighty, our relationships, strong.
We love each other, we trust each other and we work well together. Most churches couldn’t do what we’re about to do…but we can and we will.
Jesus tells the temple leaders, “you’re missing the point…the temple is a means to an end….the building and it’s contents, the liturgy and it’s order, all of this is a means to the end of praising God. It’s a means to the end of serving God. The work we’ve been given to do happens out there, not in here.
We are not like the temple leaders; we understand that to hold onto this place is to stifle the Spirit. We understand that to leave this place is to free the Spirit so that she can lead us forward, where our future waits. And for that courage, that faith and that hope, I say alleluia and amen.
