Give Me Your Tired

Luke 10:1-11, 17-20

This Sunday is the 4th of July, so it’s appropriate to mention what Emma Lazarus wrote as the Inscription on the Statue of Liberty. It says,

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,  
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me;
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

If I didn’t know better, I might think Jesus said this. Maybe he did and Luke decided not to include it, thinking it could be used somewhere else. Sunday’s text would be a good place to say it since Jesus was talking about needing laborers for the harvest.

It seems to me that if we are trying to be the body of Jesus Christ in our communities, and if we accept the call to be laborers in the harvest, we might take the inscription on the Statue of Liberty and put it above the front doors of our churches. What a perfect invitation for a church to extend to its community:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to us;
We lift our Lamp beside the golden door.

Statistics tell us that over 83% of the people in our neighborhoods won’t be in church Sunday morning. That might increase on July 4. The harvest is plentiful.

We need more laborers, more people willing to share what feeds them as they participate in a church community. Sharing the good news is more about growing in relationship with people than it is about recruitment.

Being the church is about people gathering in Christ’s name to rejoice in life’s blessings, helping each other in difficult times, and establishing a reputation in our communities for our kindness, our ability to help others, and our willingness to help. People are attracted to churches when we share the peace we know in Christ.

Once these tired and poor are drawn to us, I hope we can give them a place where they can experience the fruits of the Spirit: peace, joy, love, goodness, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control.

Peace - PWM

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Luke 7:36-50

The most fun part of studying the Bible is the questioning part. Have you ever noticed that there are so many things left unexplained in stories? Maybe that’s so you and I can insert ourselves to make it apply to us today. But that’s also the hard part. Sometimes it is difficult to recognize we are all the characters in the stories.

Who would think they are the Pharisee in this story? Yet, how inhospitable have we been to Jesus? How many times have we looked down our noses at “sinners” and wonder how Jesus can tolerate them? The Pharisee didn’t see his own sin. He violated the social norm of the day when he showed no honor to his guest. He did not wash his guest's feet, greet him with a kiss, or anoint his head with oil. In that culture, this is what you did to show respect for your guest.

In addition to her sin, (another question left unanswered - what sin is so apparent that Jesus should recognize it without knowing her?), the Pharisee condemns the woman for violating social norms. Women were not supposed to touch men in public settings. The pot was calling the kettle “black.” That's why Jesus pointed out the Pharisee's shortcomings he could not see in himself.

The woman (the SINNER) showed greater hospitality. She never stopped serving her Lord. She is ignoring the criticism, letting it fall like water off a duck’s back. She doesn't react to it in self-defense. Is that how we react to criticism when it is coming from those who stand on soap boxes of righteousness?

Isn’t it odd that she’s crying? There’s no reason given. Some might say she’s repenting. Maybe, maybe not. She doesn’t say she’s going to “sin no more.” Maybe she’s heard the religious authorities are plotting to kill this compassionate teacher, as they killed most prophets who didn’t proclaim the doctrines of the tradition.

The best part of the story for me is Jesus’ short lesson to the Pharisee. Two debtors. (I’m having a hard time deciding which one of the debtors, Pharisee or woman, has the greatest sin.) Yet the Creditor cancelled the debts of both. It appears that the Creditor made this decision without any conditions being met by either of the debtors - except their helplessness to repay.

What a breathtaking picture of grace! The pot and the kettle have both been washed clean. May we see ourselves as the sinner with the largest debt that has been wiped away, and respond with the same degree of love for the Creditor. Let’s go into the world and serve Jesus. He’s in the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned.

Grace and peace - PWM