Cross Purposes indeed

Luke 13:31–35
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Last time with this text, I was inclined to title the blog entry “Nobody Here But Us Chickens” I still find BBT’s sermon a powerful meditation on the mother hen, who has no defense but to offer up her life. . .
There is a lot going on metaphorically here. A fox, a hen and a bunch of defenseless chicks. . .
In a comment, Pay No Toll weighed in with a look at the determination of Jesus to go to Jerusalem and the determination of the fox to stop him. The determination of Jesus to love Jerusalem, and the corresponding determination of Jerusalem to have none of it.
Quite a determined crew.

Akin to these athletes who have dedicated their lives to skating or skiing or curling.

These characters in the Gospel of Luke are on a crash course of conflicting determinations. Seems sort of Olympic in its scope.

Pay No Toll’s actual quote

Aside from the fox and the hen, what impresses me about this text is the various determinations, i.e. that Jesus is determined to go to Jerusalem, that the fox is determined to stop him, that Jesus is determined to love Jerusalem, that Jerusalem is determined to have none of it. Some collision course is unfolding, some crashing of cross purposes. It seems inevitable. Jerusalem always does this. They were not willing to be gathered in. Yet the "hen" stretches out "his" arms in love even so. He is determined to love them. They are determined to have none of it. What is the resolution of this impasse? Just how stubborn is God?

It’s tempting. . . but not THAT tempting

Luke 4:1–13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written,

'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and

'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

When addressing this text for the First Sunday in Lent, I oten think about preaching on temptation, but then, I’m tempted not to. I mean, I wonder what the heck to say on temptation and how that might serve the proclamation of the Gospel.

As I’ve said before, I find the temptations of the devil not all that tempting.

Is there some profit in connecting with how these temptations are tempting to Jesus?

Or is the preaching task on the First Sunday of Lent to encourage people to avoid temptation by turning to their favorite Bible verse?

Or, is the task to remind people where to turn for forgiveness when they’ve failed to resist?

Once again, I’m tempted to begin a series on Christian financial management or something. . .

or not

I wonder at this. . . it would be in danger of descending into homiletical meanderings to no purpose - but . . .

I wonder at suggesting that the primary temptation for us all, is not a temptation to concupiscence, but to idolatry. Of course, the primary idol is the self, or a god constructed to serve the self. . .

Ash Wednesday

Any insights for Ash Wednesday?

Matthew 6

Seems I've preached on this before too!

I'm thinking about something I saw that scolded us for not giving things up for Lent. Something to be said for that. Not necessarily the scolding. But the encouragement to consider self denial. I think of the title to Nicholas Kristof's 1/23 column about the girl who - taking note of the inequities in our world - convinced her family to sell their house and give half of the proceeds from that sale to charity. "What Could You Live Without?"

I like her line. . . "Everyone has too much of something, whether it's time, talent or treasure. Everyone does have their own half, you just have to find it."

This is culled from an entry for Lent almost 3 years ago. . .

I’ve told a few people this great story. After worship on Wednesday, I was home, and my 5 year old was curious about the cross on my forehead. He asked me about why it was there.
A few minutes later he said, “Dad, that cross makes you look smart!”
Yup.
As Dr. No Toll said in response to this insight, we are smart when we admit that we do not know.
I wonder at the metaphors we use, the images we live by.
Just saw a bumper sticker. US Flag, with big letters STANDING TALL.
What if standing tall simply puts you in the line of fire?
You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and marked with the cross of Christ forever.

How Do I Get There?

What to do, what to do. . .

I’ve been ruminating on this Transfiguration thing. . .

One of the problems I have, is you have to get to the mountaintop to come down from the mountain, don’t you?

And so, what of this non-mountaintop existence I seem to have.

Have I somehow sought to tame God, so that I do not have to experience the terror of the encounter?

The question begs the answer, does it not?

I liked one sermon I read, (Altitude Adjustment by Heidi Neumark pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan) where she suggested that although she usually hasn’t been all that interested in staying on the mountaintop - that she has pretty much been fine with the call to get back down off the mountain - that maybe this time she’d like to hang out on the mountaintop for a bit and listen to Jesus. . . . She has a number of good lines - one about how the link between the Transfiguration and Gethsemane (I'd add - the cross which I suspect is referenced in Moses and Elijah and Jesus speaking of his "exodus") are

“. . . unlikely twin sites of glory's face and backside.”

Glory's face and backside.

Nice.

I think about a comment I heard at Luther Lectures this year - alas - not by the lecturer who had too little to offer. But by Pay No Toll, who said something to the effect of "what is hidden in the deus absconditus is the glory of God." What then, when the glory shines forth? Oddly, it seems still hidden in suffering and the cross. . .

Finally, more from Neumark

“Unlike Peter, I have found the mountaintop of this text an uncomfortable place, perhaps because, unlike Peter, I have not been there. Each year when this story comes up, I am eager to move off the mountaintop and down to more familiar terrain. I feel more at home when they're back down with the needy crowd.

. . . This year, I'm less eager to rush down to the bottom of the hill. I'd like to linger on the mountain. I'd like to listen to the voice that interrupts Peter and brings balm: "Listen to him," we are told. Listen for dear life. Listen to words of forgiveness and mercy, promises of paradise, words from the cross. Listen without ceasing, on the edge of glory and on the brink of death.”

Well - what to do, what to do...

I may have an idea. . .

here’s a nice piece by William Loader

A Prayer for Transfiguration Sunday

Call to Prayer

Let’s go up the mountain.

Let’s go up to the place where the land meets the sky

where the earth touches the heavens,

to the place of meeting,

to the place of mists,

to the place of voices and conversations,

to the place of listening.

Prayer

O God,

We open our eyes and we see Jesus,

the months of ministry transfigured to a beam of light,

the light of the world,

your light.

May your light shine upon us.

We open our eyes and we see Moses and Elijah,

your word restoring us, showing us the way,

telling a story,

your story, his story, our story.

May your word speak to us.

We open our eyes and we see mist,

the cloud of your presence

which assures us of all we do not know

and that we do not need to fear that.

Teach us to trust.

We open our eyes and we see Peter’s constructions,

his best plans, our best plans,

our missing the point,

our missing the way.

Forgive our foolishness and sin

We open our eyes and we see Jesus,

not casting us off,

but leading us down, leading us out -

to ministry, to people.

Your love endures forever.

We open our ears and we hear your voice,

‘This is my beloved Son, listen to him!’

And we give you thanks.

Amen

prepared by William Loader 2/2001

http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/TransfigurationPrayer.htm

I'm Thinkin'

I'm thinkin' that I'd like to post some dolessharm pieces during the season of Lent. . .

I'll take the 1st Sunday - any takers for any of the others?

The Underminer

btw: anyone got any ideas for Transfiguration?

Seems like I've preached on this story before