Sunday, October 11, 2009

Lectionary 28
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
Psalm 91: 12-17
Hebrews 4:12-18
Mark 10:17-31

Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.

This is a very hard verse for us to accept. How can we be happy in times of affliction or during years when evil things seem to happen to us? How do we survive suffering and pain? And how do we accept that it might just be God who is allowing those times of suffering so that we might learn how to more fully live in God’s grace?

Zack was having trouble with school. Not a lot of trouble, but he was having some difficulty catching up on work that occurred on days when he missed class. With his sports and other activities, there were too many days last year when he had to miss classes. I found over and over again that his grades were suffering with missed work that he never made up. I finally decided that he had to be more responsible. If I found that he had another missed assignment, I would not allow him to go on a trip he was looking forward to. Sadly, another zero appeared on his record. I had to take it away.

I didn’t want to. The trip was valuable for many reasons, a weekend of leadership training that would help him grow as a student, leader and man. But I knew I could not give in. I had to keep covenant we made or he would never learn the lesson. And I do think he learned it. He is far more committed this year and he’s being more responsible about his work. He is even excited about the strides he’s making, putting more effort into his assignments. It was hard to make him suffer, but in the end it was the right thing to do.

The Northern Kingdom of Israel was not living according to the laws and precepts of their God. Even worse, they were not living as God created them to live. They were perverting justice, trampling on the poor by overtaxing them while building grand designs of their own. They were doing what is evil in the sight of God and they would suffer the consequences. The Old Testament passage, however, is not a curse on the people; it is a call for repentance. “Turn around and live as I’ve called you to live.”

Now, repentance is no guarantee. The passage from Amos says, “it may be that the LORD will be gracious.” Repentance, saying “I’m sorry” is not a magic formula for getting God’s grace. God looks to hearts, not mouths. He looks at actions, not words. Repentance is more than an apology, it is about turning from our old ways, to live as God intends.

The psalmist understands that we need God’s help to do so. The heading of this psalm calls it a prayer of Moses. Imagine what it must have been like wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Where would they get food and water? We know that the Israelites complained constantly, even suggesting that they’d be better off in Egypt than lost in the desert. But Moses understands that there is a lesson to be learned—a lesson in trust, and he asks God to teach them to count their days so that they will gain a wise heart. He also asks God to relent, to have mercy and to turn His favor back on His people. Even in times of suffering, we can learn how to trust in God and seek His help to get us through.

God didn’t set the world in motion and then walk away. He is still working amongst His people and through all of creation. The writer of the book of Hebrews says, “The word of God is living and active.” The example used isn’t one of pleasure, however. The word of God is like a double-edged sword. It cuts us to the heart, piercing into our very souls. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. This is why it is not enough to say that we are sorry for what we have done. God knows when our apologies are insincere. He’s looking for transformation, real change in our attitudes and actions.

A frequent characteristic of those we call “saints” is that they have left everything to follow Jesus Christ. Mother Theresa comes to mind as someone who set aside the world, their wealth and their lives to freely serve God. Over the millennia there have been many others, some of whom remained anonymous but were as selfless and sacrificial as Christ is calling this young man to be.

As we read the story in our Gospel text, we wonder, “Is this what God is calling for me to do? Is this how I have to repent?” No. Peter is quick to answer the challenge, “See we have left everything.” Peter is promised great reward for what he has done, but that’s not the point of the story. Jesus is not saying that every Christian must give up everything and live like Peter or Mother Theresa. But for the man in this story, who was righteous in every way, Jesus presented a test of his will. Can he turn his back on everything he has to follow Jesus?

It is a hard teaching. We are all attached to something and we would find it difficult to give up our whole world to wander in the desert with Jesus. People count on us, those in our families, at our jobs, in our neighborhoods. They don’t just love us for our stuff. How could we walk away from those relationships? What about those jobs that we do? Though there are many people who would quit their jobs at the drop of a hat, there are many whose feel as though they’ve been called to do the work that they do. Could we walk away from everything we’ve come to know and love? Would God call us to leave a vocation that He gave us? I suppose that depends on whether or not we’ve put that relationship or job ahead of God. It depends on whether we think we are earning God’s grace by living in those relationships and vocations.

The rich young man’s question was deeper. He asks, “What can I do to inherit eternal life?” We can’t. No matter what we do, we can not inherit that gift of God. We can’t ensure enough justice. We can’t be righteous enough. It is impossible for us, for any man. We can’t depend on our actions for eternal life; only God alone can do it for us. It is impossible for any man to earn God’s grace, but it is not impossible for God to grant His grace to anyone.

When we read a story like the one in today’s Gospel lesson, it is natural for us to think about how we would react to Jesus’ answer. The words of Jesus are harsh. What would we do if they were spoken to us personally? Would we respond like the rich young ruler, hanging our head in sadness as we walk away? Or would we respond like the disciples, perplexed with questions. Though they were astounded by Jesus’ teaching, they did not walk away. They stayed and asked Jesus what He meant. They sought to better understand this hard teaching. They heard the Gospel message that is found in this story. The rich young man never heard the good news because he walked away.

What is He saying to us? What in our life is keeping us from following Him? These are things we should do. God is calling us to live justly, to do what is right and to be what He has created us to be. No matter what we do, however, we are called to remember that the Gospel, the Good News, is that even when we fail, God is faithful. Eternal life comes by grace through faith, not by any work we can do. Even our faith is a gift from God. The good work we do is a response to what God has done. So, as we trust in God through thick and thin, knowing that what we have is His and what He has promised will be ours, we live as He has called us to live, rejoicing in every day as we learn and grow in wisdom, manifesting God's grace and glory so that the world will see Him and believe.

A WORD FOR TODAY
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