Year C, Pentecost 12, Luke 14.1, 7-14, Good News to the Poor

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Amen

“Almost half of white Americans say the USA becoming a majority nonwhite nation would "weaken American customs and values," a new Pew Research poll says.

The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that before 2050, the majority of the USA will be made up of minority populations. According to Pew's research, 46 percent of white people fear that would weaken U.S. culture.

"The finding speaks for itself. It suggests concern broadly held by whites about a majority-minority country," says Rich Morin, a senior editor at Pew Research Center.

The survey of 2,524 U.S. adults conducted in December focused on Americans' view of the future of the country and asked about political, economic and societal changes that could come by 2050.

Pew did not define "American customs and values" or "American culture" for the survey.”

(USA Today)

We hear a lot about “white privilege” today.

What is “white privilege”?

Simply put, “white privilege” refers to the fact that in our culture, there are many challenges that minorities face, that white people never experience.

Opportunities are more abundant for whites.  Doors simply open more readily for us.

One of my colleagues, Eric Samuelson, reported an experience recently.

He writes:

At Holden Village last week, John Noltner asked for stories about when we recognized our privilege for his "A Peace of My Mind" photo project. I recalled a Friday morning teaching at Trinity Lutheran College when my students started talking about how they got to college, and how hard it was to get there. They started telling stories about all the people in their lives who discouraged them, who told them they shouldn't dream big, or that they weren't college materials. It was so many stories of so many people who did this to them. And I sat there realizing nobody has ever said those words to me. Those students had more grit and determination than I ever have, and they continue to inspire me to this day. I remembered too that they also told stories of that ONE person (and for many, it was only one) who let them know they could make it, and the incredible role that person played in their life. That moment had had a big impact on me, as I seek to be that kind of person who gives hope and encouragement to the young people in my life. 

And why do almost half of the people in the U.S. fear the day when there are more minorities than white people in the country????

It’s because many fear losing the privileges that we have long enjoyed.

One of my memories from childhood is of playing in the school yard during the winter.

One of the things they did was to clear the snow from the playground, and pile it up creating a wonderful mound.   It was ideal for playing a game of “King of the Mountain”.

You remember the game.

One person would get to the top, and then try to stay there as long as they could, while the rest tried to push them off the top of the mountain.  Inevitably this resulted in the “King of the Mountain” taking a slide down the icy slope of our ‘mountain’.  And once one “King” was pushed off the top of the mountain, another person took their place, and the game continued.

Mary, the mother of our Lord, sang a song that we know as the “Magnificat” when she found out that she would have Jesus.

In that song she declares:

(The Lord) has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

Kinda sounds like “King of the Mountain” doesn’t it.

This theme of God’s special concern for lifting up the downtrodden, even at the expense of the elite, runs throughout much of Luke’s Gospel.

It’s no accident that in Luke’s Gospel, it was the lowly shepherds that welcomed the savior’s birth, not the wise men, the privileged travelers from afar.

In today’s Gospel message, Jesus once again visits this theme.

“For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus tells his hosts the parable, about the wedding guests seeking the places of honor, and how it is better to take the lowest seat at the table and be brought up, than to take a place at the head table, and be asked to move down.

Consider again, the Pew Research poll.

Why do so many white people fear the growth of the minority populations in our country?

Because there is a concern that the status of the minorities will be improved at the expense of the white people.

The same dynamic happens with respect to immigration.

There is a fear that if we do not control immigration they will take our jobs.

And of course, the hopes of those who come here is that they will have a job.

It’s all a game of “King of the Mountain”, where an elite few are at the top, defending their status, while the rest seek to displace them.

Only it doesn’t have to be that way.

And it will not be in the Kingdom of God.

Let me give you an example.

Imagine for a moment, that the world is a great banquet and all are invited.

When we sit down to eat, there are numerous possibilities.

One possibility is that there is simply not enough to go around.  So the privileged few will eat prime rib, while the rest go hungry.

Or similarly, most of the people get macaroni and cheese, but some get prime rib.

In both cases you have an elite class.

And if you are one of the elite, you fear that the next time you’ll be eating the mac and cheese, or nothing at all.

Or imagine that the resources are limited so instead of serving some prime rib while others go hungry, the host serves everyone broth and bread.  That’s one of the fears we have been taught regarding communism.   If everyone gets the same, it’ll be broth and bread, not prime rib.

But there is another possibility.

Suppose, that due to the graciousness of the host, there is in fact enough prime rib for everyone to enjoy.

Would that be so bad?

Or do we, in our sinfulness, desire to have more than another?

One of the ways this comes into play is with respect to our understanding of salvation.

I have been amazed at how important it was for many people in my parishes to believe that there is a hell where people will suffer eternally.

So you have some, who in the afterlife, experience eternal bliss.  And others that experience eternal torment. 

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is that Lazarus, who suffered in this life will enjoy eternal bliss in the next, while the rich man who was privileged in this life will be in agony in the next.

But what if God, in God’s wisdom, was able to redeem the entire world, so that all are saved, and none are condemned????

Would heaven be any less heavenly if everyone was there?

Is prime rib any less tender if we all have a portion?

Is forgiveness any less blessed, if God offers it to all?

Is grace diminished when it is abundant?

Does God have to hate some, in order to love others?

And the answer is of course not.

I have four children.

I can and do love them all.

I don’t have to love some of them, and despise the others.

Love can be freely and unconditionally given.

That brings up a second point.

Given.

In Jesus parable, there is a contrast between seeking out the positions of honor, and being granted those positions. 

If I humble myself and expect nothing, then everything I have is a blessing, a gift.

That’s grace.

It’s not that some deserve God’s favor and others don’t.

Grace is that no one deserves God’s favor, but God gives it anyway.  Gives it.  Offers it freely and unconditionally for the sake of Christ.

And in that, we are all equal.

Hierarchies will be destroyed in the Kingdom of God.

There will not be a privileged few, and impoverished masses.

For there is no limit to the grace of God.

Amen.

Grace for All, Privilege for None, Year C, Epiphany 6, Luke 6.17-26

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Amen

The Good News for all in this text is bad news for some.

Grace is like that.

But first a story.

Elaine was a dear, but cantankerous old saint.  And she wasn’t hesitant at all to speak her mind.

She introduced herself to me as the pillar of the congregation.  Not only that, but she said things like “Did you know Sandpoint has a snob hill?  We live on it.”  Elaine had money and she wasn’t hesitant to let you know it.

One day the subject of John 14, verse 2 came up.

In the Revised Standard Version that verse reads:

“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”

“When did heaven get downgraded, Pastor?”

“What do you mean?” I responded.

"These new translations. " In my Father’s house are many rooms” 

Room?? Who said anything about a room! King James Version said " In my Father's house are many mansions:" When I get to heaven I'm not settling for a room! I want a mansion."

The Greek word is μονή, (monay) which means:  lodging, dwelling-place, room, abode, or mansion.

So it’s not a matter of one translation being right and the other wrong.

Unless of course you’re Elaine.

She definitely wanted a mansion.

Today’s Gospel lesson is a tough one in many ways.

It’s Jesus’ teaching in the “Sermon on the Plain”. 

Similar to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew's Gospel, the Sermon on the Plain represents some of Jesus’ core preaching.

In this Sermon Jesus’ says things like:

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.

And "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

But first these words of contrast from today’s lesson.

They are the epitome of Good News/Bad News.

"Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

"But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

"Blessed are you who are hungry now,

for you will be filled.

"Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

"Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

"Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

"Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Some have called this the “great reversal”.

The status quo is changing.

It’s great news for those who struggle now.

Not so hot for those who live on “snob hill” looking down on the rest.

Jesus is a revolutionary. 

What do we make of Jesus’ words here?

If we take Jesus at face value here, actually listening to what he says, and not changing his words to suit our own desire, it doesn’t bode well for us who live in one of the richest and most prosperous nations of all time.

On the other hand if you are a Christian living in impoverished places like some parts of Africa or South America, for example, these words of Jesus might speak of hope and be filled with grace.

The bottom line is Jesus’ message is one of good news to the poor, the forgotten, the outcast, and those struggling in this life.

But he is equally at odds with the rich, the elite, the religious leaders, and powerful of his day.

So what do we make of this?

Let’s start with grace.

That’s been our theme for the last few weeks.

Grace.

God’s unmerited favor offered freely to all.

And it’s a great leveler.  We all stand on equal footing under the grace of God.

To put it differently, there are no “snob hills” in the Kingdom of God.  There will not be mansions for some and shanties for the rest.

One of my favorite passages about the Kingdom of God comes from Isaiah 11:

The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

and a little child shall lead them.

7 The cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

What Isaiah envisions is an end to the predator and prey world we live in where some prosper at the expense of others. 

There will be no rich and poor.

There will not be some who hunger while others are satisfied.

There will not be some consumed with sorrow, while others revel in delight.

There will not be some who enjoy great power and prestige while others are ridiculed and reviled.

It’s probably symbolic that Jesus’ offers this teaching on a “level place” because what he speaks of is a level playing field for all.

Grace is that way.

We stand equally blessed by the grace of God, and its impossible under God’s grace for some to rise to the top of the pecking order while others sink to the bottom.

This is actually Good News for all, because God grace is offered freely to all.

Yet if you are accustomed to great privilege, to being on top of the world looking down on the rest of creation, it will be a rude awakening.

Imagine, for example, if the United States was no longer a “super power” and was simply equal to all other nations.

Or imagine if all possessed equal power.

Or imagine if there were no poor, but also no rich in the land.  Everyone was simply middle class.

There would be rejoicing on the part of those who were lifted up, but dismay on the part of those who were brought down to a level place.

One example from our Church:

When the ELCA was formed back in 1988 we recognized that throughout the history of the church as a whole, and our own history in particular, the predominant leadership, power, and privilege was vested in white, male, clergy.

The ELCA sought to correct that and mandated quotas.

Lay people were to be represented in more significant numbers.  Here it should be noted that in most of our gatherings clergy, who are a very small percentage of the church, still compromise a significant proportion of the assemblies, just not quite as high a percentage as before.

Men and women were to be represented in equal numbers.

And we intentionally sought out minorities and people whose first language was other than English to be part of the leadership, and future of the Church.

This action opened up many opportunities for people who had not had them before.

If you were a black, woman, lay person the doors opened up for you.

But the white, male, clergy screamed bloody murder.

We had been accustomed to being on top, and now that we stood as equals to our lay, and women, and minority brothers and sisters we felt like we’d been demoted. 

And yet, even so, we white male clergy still possess a disproportionate amount of power in the Church, just not quite as much as before.

Back to God’s grace.

God’s grace showers us all with abundant blessings.

All of us.

There’s only one Lord and Father of us all, the rest of us are children, equally loved, equally forgiven, and equally redeemed, not because we deserve it more than others, but simply because of the grace offered freely to us.

There are not those who are righteous on their own accord, and others that are accursed.

This should be good news for all. 

But in our sinfulness we tend to believe that some of us deserve a bit more of God’s favor, afterall, haven’t we been the ones who have striven the hardest.

Not so with God’s grace.

As Paul says in Romans 3:

For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

The Bottom line?  In the Kingdom of God there are not the privileged few, and the underprivileged masses. 

God loves us all as his children.  None of us are any better than the rest, for grace renders us all precious in the eyes of God.

Amen