all these words

i don't need 'em now

 

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 9th chapter!

I have a confession...

I've put my hand to the plow; and after my hands gripped the machinery, I looked back.

It's true.

In Jesus' estimation, I am not fit for God's empire...

We'll see...

We will see because just as I don't believe God is done working; done working in the world, done working in Trinity, done working in you; I believe Jesus isn't done working in me, either.

So for now, I'll just confess it; I've put my hand to the plow and looked back...

Let me tell you about it:

I was called here, called to Trinity.

Trinity, this great congregations, this congregation with a great history.

The first area Lutheran congregation to have services in English, have communion every week, to call a woman pastor, to welcome any and all - regardless of race or sexual orientation, a congregation where people who voted for republicans and folks who voted for democrats not only shared a table, but were friends!

 

I was blessed enough to be called to this congregation with, frankly, a cool and faithful history.

 

But that wasn't all!

You all are still doing cool a things!

From hosting an ice cream social and giving the raised funds that to organizations that provide important services, to a really faithful and dedicated council giving leadership, to a group that meeting to consider how Trinity can feed hungry people, to a visioning committee forming.

And not only that!

While all of this great stuff was going on we were making our bills, and even paying off loans!

Wow.

If that wasn't enough, some really great folks, dedicated folks, joined us

I couldn't believe my luck!

I got to be called to this great place!

So once I was called here, I put my hand to the plow...

 

But you know how things are; there were a few trials, and the way attendance drops after Easter...

 

So one night, after a long day, I found myself thinking, 'if we just had a few more folks here...'

I found myself uttering those words that always make me cringe when I hear others say it: "If things were just like how they were when the place was full."

You know, the good 'ol days... the 60's.

Yeah right.

Kidding aside, what I did was, I looked back...

I looked back to the congregation I worked at in Seattle, where I got to be a part of a popular young adult ministry.

Or to D.C., when I worked in a national advocacy office, and at cathedral ELCA congregation.

"Oh," I thought, "how great things were...

when I was still a student..."

Yeah right!

We know how it is though, when things are tough, all too often we idealize the past.

Oh how great things were then, and we focus on what's behind us...

The problem is, whenever we do that, just like I did that night, we take our eyes away from everything that is in front of us.

We take our hand from the plow.

In Jesus' words, when we idolize the past that way, we're not fit for the kingdom of God...

These are hard words to hear, but could they be true?

They aren't the type of thing we expect Jesus to say; but he does say it, and he's right...

These words of Jesus, that those who look back are not fit for God's empire, are true. This analysis of Jesus is true; true not because Jesus is making a judgment; but because Jesus is describing reality!

See, here's the thing; when we look back, when we turn from the plow, we turn our attention away from ALL THAT WE ALREADY HAVE.

We turn from what God is giving us, to what we wish we had!

Take my example; when I turned back, I took my eyes away from everything that I already got to be a part of, away from all that Trinity ALREDY IS.

Do you want to know something, this place, you all are my dream come true!

There, right there is the tragedy Jesus is talking about today!

Any time we look back, when we turn from the plow, we can't see all that is ahead of us, all that we already have...

Whenever we wish that things were another way, when we focus on how things were, we're looking behind. Sorry to say it, but Jesus is right, when we do that, we can't see the surprising thing God is doing NOW!

That is why Jesus says those who turn back aren't fit for God's empire, because those who turn back, can't see the empire of God dawning right in front of them; here and now!

Those who turn from the work at hand aren't fit for God's empire, because they can't see it!

Simple as that.

 

In our obsession to have things like they were, stuff we don't have now; more resources, a bigger budget, whatever; when we do that, when we look away, we miss what God is doing now, we miss what God is doing here; what God is doing RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.

What Jesus tells those of us who are too likely to turn around today, isn't that we're not worthy, but that we're missing it!

Right now, in our midst, in front of our very noses, God's empire is dawning!  - Look and see it!

In front of us, in those unlikely places,

the unexpected one,

the unpredictable places,

God shows up, and God brings God's empire!

Right in front of us, God makes God's empire dawn.

That is what Jesus is saying today.

Jesus calls to us, 'don't look back, don't take your eyes off me, I am enough, I am here, follow me.'

That is the good news to us today.

So here's are some place I think God is calling us to look ahead and watch God's kingdom come...

It seems that as things change, we can keep trying to turn around, or we can embrace what we are.

I think we can embrace our size.

 

Hal, Bob and Shelly embodied this perfectly tonight!

Getting a text-message on Wednesday and running with it.

See, what I imagine is that when people talk about Trinity Evangelical, they will say that is a group of people who take their faith seriously.

That Trinity is a community that puts their resources not into saving themselves, but serving others; a group that isn't obsessed with membership, but discipleship.

Given this reality, and the promise that God's kingdom comes to this place, I think we're being called is to re-evaluate everything, the embrace what God is doing here and now.

You all know that once a month I block off an afternoon to pray for each and every one of you, and that I pray for you all often.

But do you want to know who I pray the most for?

I pray the most for Jonathan, Anika, Abby, Angela, Sofia, Alex, Jacob - all our younger members, and there are a few other little ones coming up.

I pray for them, because I worry.

I don't worry about them because I think they’re not getting it, they are. I worry that we won’t learn from them, that the church of the future will miss their voice.

I worry what they will think about the fact that are no other people their age here, I worry they may draw the conclusion that church isn't a place for them, for young people.

So what if we re-imagine everything!

What if success for us isn't butts in the pews, but that we shape disciples for life.

That we give Trinity to our younger members - noisy, silly, FUN as they are.

What if we committed to forming disciples by sharing EVERYTHING with these younger members, to show them church IS A PLACE FOR THEM?

Remember that story I told last week, about the young man who put his finger in my chest saying one protest didn't change everything, that the church already betrayed him?

What if he hadn't been betrayed by the church in the first place?

Or what if an Alex, an Abby, a Sofie, one of our youth that we really welcomed, listened to, shared everything with had been there?

What if a young member had been there to say, "No, that isn't how the church is; Trinity, where I grew up, listened to me, included me."

See what I am saying?

What if our goal isn't numerical growth for ourselves, but giving ourselves away?

What if our goals aren't survival, but service.

As Hal, Shelly and Bob sang about, this giving love, sets us free. As Paul says, in love let us serve one another, serve the other.

What if our goal sharing a faith that will last, that people can grow with - and sharing this with any and all, by including all, and respecting all?

What if our number one priority was not how many members we have, but how many of our members go to seminary, how many of our youth that we send off to college keep the faith?

What if those were our goals?

If those were our priorities, I do not believe our size would be the biggest issue, if our budget would be a priority.

See, we can re-imagine everything, just by looking ahead!

What if our size wasn't a problem, but a gift?

What if our neighborhood wasn't a threat, but a place we love?

What if the folks who lived in our neighborhood weren't them, but our beloved members.

And folks, as violence continues to escalate in our neighborhood, we must be heartbroken.

What if?

Folks, let's stop looking behind us!

Let's turn our heads and grab that plow again!

Let's listen to Jesus!

Let's focus on him!

Let us put our hand to the plow and work the ground we're in now, the place we're at now!

Here and now.

Let us do that, and instead of lamenting over what we don't have, be surprised by the places God shows up, bringing the empire!

Let's be fit for the kingdom of God.

 

Not because we're making it happen, After all we pray, "God's kingdom come."

God will do that, God will makes God’s kingdom come, all we need to do is be on the lookout for where the kingdom is dawning in our midst, just ahead.

Let us do that and watch as what was impossible, becomes our next ministry.

Amen!