First Lesson: 2 Kings 2: 1-2, 6-14
Responsive Reading: Psalm 77: 1-2, 11-20
Second Lesson: Galatians 5: 1, 13-25
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 9: 51-62

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ[1],
​
July 2010: The city of Cleveland got dumped by the girl of their dreams with the entire world watching.  LeBron James, the best Basketball player in the entire world, wanted to hang out with prettier friends in Miami.  Cleveland’s reaction to being dumped was somewhat predictable.  Kids would tear James’ poster of bedroom walls.  People would burn James’ jerseys in the street.  People were saying every kind of nasty word that they could about LeBron James.  While we don’t live in Cleveland, we can understand “Cleveland.”  Factories and plants were shutting down[2].  People were losing jobs.  Cleveland had gone “46 years” without a championship in any sport (Football, Basketball, Baseball, or Hockey).  Talks of Cleveland’s curse grew “louder” and “louder. 

June 2016: The Cleveland cause was again looking hopeless.  The Cavaliers basketball team was down 3-1 to the greatest NBA regular season team of all-time in the Golden State Warriors.  They were going to need to win “three straight games” to have a chance at the long awaited title.  LeBron James though after running back into Cleveland’s arms one year earlier, would play three of the greatest games any NBA player ever played.  Six years had changed everything!  So many people on this championship night flocked to downtown Cleveland to celebrate that the authorities had to stop allowing people to gather “downtown.”  People were dancing in the streets, people wearing hugging complete strangers, and people were running with joy that didn’t know that they could run[3].  The Prodigal Son had come home, only instead of celebrating with a fattened calf they were hoisting a NBA championship in Cleveland.

Cleveland had their hours of heartbreak.  Cleveland had gone through 145 years seasons of receiving an answer of “not now, but someday”.  People’s faith in a payoff would be tested. Six years earlier! The most unlikely of stories of a city’s redemption had become reality. 

The story of Cleveland’s redemption leads us into our Gospel lesson for today[4].  Today’s Gospel reading is a tale of pain and rejection with seemingly the whole world watching.  The disciples James and John had gone into a Samaritan village.  James and John went into this village expecting to change the world.  James and John experienced nothing but indifference[5].  James and John left this village mad.  Their sales pitch was shot down. James and John wanted “God to bring the thunder down from Heaven upon this village[6].”  James and John wanted the Samaritan village “wiped out”.  James and John weren’t in this moment acting like calm heroes of the Christian faith but rather like children throwing a temper tantrum only after a few more decades on Earth.  James and John went to Jesus with their problems.  James and John were hoping that Jesus would give a blessing to their anger and revenge.  Jesus’ advice to these men was simple; Jesus suggested finding another village instead[7]. 

What’s going on in James and John’s life at this moment is this, they could recall the past; they were experiencing the present, but they could only imagine the future.

The sixteen-year-old boy dumped for the first time can believe that they stand no chance of meeting anyone ever again.  The boy remembers the past, is experiencing the present, but can’t imagine the future.  The person who loses their job in the present moment can’t imagine that their pain could be part of God’s master plan.  They can only see their wallet getting squeezed tighter and tighter in the days ahead. 

James and John couldn’t believe that God might send them into a Samaritan village to experience dead ends.  James and John couldn’t believe that God is using this experience to set them up for something else. The Disciples would rather wallow in anger and revenge than hope. 

Let me tell you a story about why we need to embrace hope[8].  Eric Thomas grew up with a defeatist attitude because his father abandoned him.  When Eric Thomas was sixteen, he got in a big fight at home and ran away.  Thomas spent the next two years of his life living out on the streets of Detroit.  Thomas spent nights figuring that the world would possibly be better off if he were dead.  Thomas one day by circumstance encounters a preacher who tells him “That he has the gifts that could save lives[9].”  Thomas decides every breath he had moving forward was going to be about saving lives like his own.  Thomas goes back to school.  Thomas gets a GED degree.  Thomas then spends twelve years working towards a college degree.  Thomas begins a youth program to help similarly troubled kids get their GEDs.  Thomas becomes a preacher. Thomas gets hired by Michigan State University.  Thomas obtains a Masters than a Doctorate.
What kept Eric Thomas going on those nights sleeping on the street, above all else was that he had a vision.  Thomas was going to become the father that he never had for his future children.  Thomas today is one of the most in-demand motivational speakers in the country. 

How does Jesus seek to calm James and John in the midst of their anger about the present?  Jesus encourages James and John to embrace a vision and look towards the future.  “Bury the dead and move on[10].” 

These words that Jesus gives almost seem cold, but here’s the purpose.  Jesus wanted James and John from that day moving forward to focus their energy not on changing the past which is impossible, but rather on changing the lives of others which is possible.  Jesus wanted James and John to know that the Christian faith is not about your past sins, your present reality, but the Christian faith is rather about all sorts of future resurrections. 

The future does not promise to be easy.  Jesus will soon face hostile religious leaders and crucifixion.  James and John are about to have their whole lives turned upside down.  James and John are about to start a religion that seems destined for death, yet forces from above will breathe life into their journey.  What Jesus is seeking to do for James and John is preach a sermon about the power of faith.  Faith is about clinging to a hope of “life” when nothing but death is seemingly all around you. 

Faith is not an easy thing to grasp when you hear news of cancer diagnosis.  The reason that we cling to faith is that life is that in life, we are more likely to face uncertainty than certainty.  James and John left this Samaritan village today with nothing more than faith.  James and John would soon be traveling all over the earth in frightening and uncertain circumstances.  Faith is that whereas death will mark the past, Resurrection will mark the future.

So how can we tie this all together.

How do the stories of Lebron James, Eric Thomas, James, and John relate to our lives today? 
Let me suggest something this morning.  I want you to stop thinking of life regarding “buts.”  Think of all the excuses of why God can’t change the world or your life or the lives of those around you. 

I want to reflect a little bit this morning upon the life story of Ulysses S. Grant[11].  In the early days of the Civil War, the South had the upper-hand.  Union generals much like James and John dreaded failure and rejection.  They were more concerned with avoiding risks then seizing opportunities.  Southern General Robert E. Lee couldn’t compete with manpower or firepower, but Lee was able to act with tremendous conviction of leadership.  Now what made Ulysses S. Grant up to the task of standing up to Robert E.Lee, it certainly wasn’t his resume.  Grant lacked a high education or any unique talent for the art of war[12]. 
Grant had previously been kicked out of the military for drinking and brawling.  Grant probably wouldn’t have been let back into the army, if the Union wasn’t so desperate for soldiers.  What made Grant dynamic though as a leader is uncharted waters didn’t faze him.  Grant knew that clinging to the status quo was a death sentence.

In our lesson for today, Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem, a Jerseleum rife with uncertainty in the weeks ahead.  

This last week, we have had heavy storms hit the Northland.  Tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds struck the land.  Homes were damaged, and people lost their lives.  People woke up the next morning searching for answers.  In the storms of life, we need to cling to faith.   

Let me close by invoking one of the more famous stories from within our Christian scriptures. 

We always talk about the Prodigal Son, when the key character in the story is the Prodigal’s Father.  It’s the Father who like Eric Thomas waits day after day by looking not towards the past, not embracing the reality of the present, the Prodigal’s Father is only looking towards the future.  The Father believes that someday his son might come home, and he and his son will celebrate with the fattened calf together.  I’m sure the Father had his nights of frustration.  The Father had his nights of wondering whether it was time to give up hope.  The Father though kept imagining the future of receiving his long-lost son into his arms.  The Father’s belief that one day his whole world could change kept him going looking for his chance to proclaim grace, forgiveness, and mercy to his son who had run away. 

Six years ago, a championship dream was thought to die as Lebron James left Cleveland.  A couple of decades ago, life was believed to be ruined as Eric Thomas ran away from home.  Nearly two thousand years ago, James and John walked into Samaritan village, failed and walked out angry seeing themselves as failed evangelists.  James and John’s story though would soon change.  They would encounter the Resurrected Lord.  They would receive words that had the power to give “life” to the dead.  They would travel to the ends of the Earth.  They would experience “Resurrection” from all anger, all pain, and all despair.  Who is to say that the same can’t happen to us Today!  Amen
             
         
           
           
 
           
 
 
 
 
 

[1] The title is taken from an ESPN 30 for 30 that aired on May 14, 2016. 
[2] Posnanski, Joe. “Titles and Tears.” NBC Sports Online. 20.Jun.2016. Web. Jun.21.2016. 
[3] Posnanski, Joe. “Titles and Tears.”
[4] Luke 9:51-62.
[5] Luke 9:53
[6] Luke 9:54
[7] Luke 9:55. 
[8] “Eric Thomas (motivational speaker). “Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July.2004. Web. Jun.21.2016. 
[9] Rose, Lisa. “Mission Accomplished: The Truth of Eric Thomas.” Empower Magazine.  29.Feb.2012. Web. Jun.21.2016. 
[10] Luke 9:59-60. 
[11] Stanley, Andy. The Next Generation Leader: 5 essentials for those who will shape the future. Multnomah Publishers. Sisters, Oregon. 2013.Print. P.87-88. 
[12] Stanley, Andy. The Next Generation Leader: 5 essentials for those who will shape the future. P.88.

First Lesson: 1 Kings 19: 1-4, (5-7), 8-15a
Responsive Reading: Psalm 42 & 43
Second Lesson: Galatians 3: 23-29
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 8: 26-39

 
Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”- Galatians 3:28

When I first moved here 4 ½ years ago, I was told that there was something I needed to understand “Two Harbors is a rail town and Silver Bay is a mining town”.  I was told this was why these towns have difficulty working together and how this divide will exist even beyond the rest of my life.

While it took me a few years to understand the difference between a rail town and a mining town, such divisions are nothing new under the sun.  Growing up in Lindstrom, I never remember a time when Dad wasn’t on the City Council.  He is currently serving his sixth two-year term as mayor.  Now growing up, the town that I never heard anything positive about was “Chisago City” which sits about three miles west on Highway 8.  Lindstrom has the Karl and Kristina Oskar statue.  Chisago City has a tribute to The Emigrants author Vilhelm Moberg.  Lindstrom has the Coffee Pot water tower.  Chisago City has the Stairway to Heaven which I’ve heard Lindstrom residents deride as “The stairway to nowhere.”  When they merged Chi-Hi (Lindstrom and Center City) and Chisago City into Chisago Lakes High School in 1970, there was controversy with people saying that it could never work. 

Earlier this spring, a middle school student was supposed to do a history project and made Grandma the subject.  Grandma’s nursing home is in Chisago City because there is no nursing home in Lindstrom.  The student made a nice project complete with pictures of her and Grandma; there was just one problem the project said that Grandma lived her life in Chisago City.” 

Every time, that I’m in Grandma’s room visiting her, whenever she turns her eyes to the project, Grandma reacts!  Grandma will always tell me of her anger towards Chisago City no matter how many times I’ve heard it before and how she should the throw the “stupid” project in the trash.  Grandma though is not unique in her thinking on this issue though. 

People tend to go through life thinking by their tribes (Vikings versus Packers, Lutherans versus Catholics, Republicans versus Democrats, Lindstrom’s Swedes versus Chisago City’s Swedes, Mariners versus Agates).

Let me give an example of how ingrained our tribes are for us.  Some years ago there was an experiment conducted by psychologists within the United Kingdom[1].  They recruited fans of the Manchester United soccer club for this study.  Here is how the experiment went down.  The physiologists gathered the soccer fans and had them write essays about how much they loved their favorite team.  They would then escort these fans outside to another building where the soccer fans saw a runner slip on a grass bank, where the runner fell down holding his ankle and screaming in pain.  Here’s where the experiment gets interesting.  What percent of Manchester United fans helped the injured runner?  If the runner was wearing a Manchester United t-shirt 92% of fans helped the runner and if the runner was wearing a t-shirt of Manchester’s rival Liverpool FC only 30% help[2]. 

So this story leads us to our lesson for today from Galatians 3[3].  Paul had heard things like I’ve heard about Two Harbors or Chisago City.  Paul was encountering people with loyalty to their team that put the Manchester United fans to shame.  The division in Paul’s case were Jews versus Greeks and slaves versus free.

Paul was writing a letter to a church divided in Galatia.  Let me give you the backstory for the Galatians on this day.  Paul started the Church in Galatia.  The Church was made up of people from every stripe of life.  The founders of the Galatian church are very strict Jews the kind that circumcise on the eighth day, ate all the right Jewish foods and quoted Moses’s words like people quote Baseball stats[4]. 

For many people this would have been the perfect church, Paul though thought differently. Paul then started bringing in Pagans.  People that ate whatever they wanted to eat, people who lived however they wanted to live.  For Gentile pagans being circumcised at thirty-five didn’t hold a lot of appeal nor did giving up bacon cheeseburgers.  The divide Paul was facing went beyond what rules to observe.  Paul had slaves and slave owners within the church.  Paul was bringing in men and women in a culture that often divided them into categories of inequality. Trying to sort out all these factions was not going to be easy nor was it going to be smooth. 

Paul wanted to live with this tension, though.  Paul thought Viking and Packer fans could stand being in the same room during football season or the equivalent in 1st century Galatia.  The only problem was Paul left to start other churches.  Other leaders take over.  These other leaders though don’t share Paul’s ideas.  They wanted those new Gentile converts in Galatia to a play copy-cat.  “Be like Abraham,” “Be like Moses,” “Be like Me” rather than “Believe in Christ Crucified.” 

Paul hears about what’s going on in the Galatian church and writes his letter in response.  Paul’s passion for seeing the world differently we can find in his life story.  Paul had previously viewed the world the way that the other Jews had.  Paul loved tradition and he loved the laws that governed it.  The Road to Damascus though turned Paul’s world upside down regarding “How the Kingdom of God would work?” 

One of Paul’s lesser known books is called Philemon.  In Philemon, Paul writes to Philemon urging him to accept his runaway slave Onesimus not in the former distinction of slave or free.  Paul rather pleaded with Philemon to take his runaway slave as a brother in Christ.  Paul wanted his fellow believers to see others not as they are, but rather as what they shall be.  Paul wanted to preach that no matter how much you disagree with the Pagans ways both currently and formerly that “No one is outside the possibility of grace, hope, or forgiveness.” 

What do Paul’s words have to say to us today?  The big news shooting this week was the shooting in Orlando.  The reactions to it were predictable depending on which tribe people belonged to: gun-control, immigration, or gay marriage, Trump or Clinton, Muslim or Christian.  The problem with the discussions on the news is none of the discussion centered upon the reality of evil.  No one after Orlando wanted to talk about the realities of sin, death, and the power of the devil.  I do not believe that men like Omar Mateen act in ways they do with such little regard for human life if they are not being led by Satan to act the way that they act.  It is Satan who makes us see the world with violence being the only way out.  It is Satan who breeds hate in those different from us.  What the tragedy in Orlando reminds us is that Satan glorifies lies and conceals the truth.  People often wonder is there such a place as Hell?  I believe in Hell because I believe in the words of the Book of Revelation that one day death and Satan will be tossed into the lake of fire[5].   Those who can’t see the light will remain in darkness.  People inevitability see the world in our image.  What we always need to remember is that we are full of sin, full of pride, and our way of looking at the world is flat our wrong, this is why we look towards the cross!  What Orlando should remind us of is our brokenness as a people.  We are not God!  In the words of Craig Koester as “We must continually draw the distinction between what God has done for us and what other people do[6].?”.  On this day, we do maintain hope because we are children of all stripes of an all-loving God. 
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”-Galatians 3:28

What Paul saw in Galatia was an opportunity to expand his tribe.  Paul’s passion for the Gospel was strong because it stood in such sharp contrast to his previous way of looking at the world.  Paul saw his tribe as way broader than before. Paul wanted his fellow Christians to think the same way.  Paul believed that a focus on what brought them together in Christ Jesus could begin to soothe the origin of their divisions. 
Back to the earlier experiment that I cited about the Manchester United Soccer fans[7].  The psychologists later conducted the experiment again, only this time with a slight twist.  The psychologists before encountering the injured runner had the soccer fans write another essay.  This essay wasn’t about why they loved Manchester United, but rather why they loved soccer.  What do you suppose happened after they wrote an essay about what they had in common with fellow soccer fans.  In the second version of the experiment, Manchester United fans helped 80% of their own, but 70% of fans of their biggest rival Liverpool F.C. 

Do not see others for their differences; rather see others for what they might bring to the body of Christ.

“The Kingdom of God is like a new net thrown into the sea that gathers in fish of every kind.”-Matthew 13:47. 

The final story, a few weeks ago, I was at the Section 7A track meet in Esko.  The last Mariner runner to try to qualify for state in the Girls 200 Meter was Jocey Russell.  Jocey was a softball player who was so fast that they gave her a chance on the track team.  Jocey was fast, but had only attended four track practices all year.  Jocey would have been a relatively unlikely state qualifier.  The favorite for the event was Jessie Junneman from Two Harbors.  Junneman wins the race.  Jocey though ran fast on this day.  Jocey ends up coming in second in a photo-finish for a spot at state.  Jocey’s biggest support giving her a hug at the end of the race and on the medal stand is Jessie Junneman, the pride of the Agates.  It was Two Harbors giving our kids access to their track and functional hurdles so Silver Bay could send two kids (Gunnar and Alexxa) to State in the hurdles.  Sitting in the Silver Bay section last Friday down at the state meet, Mariners were cheering for Agates like they were their own. 

I’ll admit that it took me a minute to wrap my head around this as someone you could never cheer for the Green Bay Packers unless it benefited the Minnesota Vikings.

The Gospel can make possible what was previously thought to be impossible.  Paul’s message to the church in Galatia was that your former divisions will not remain forever.  The power of the cross stands to conquer what ultimately separates us as a people.  Walls shall soon come a crumbling down! 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”-Galatians 3:28.”
Amen
 
 
 


[1] Grant, Adam. Give and Take. Penguin Books. New York. 2013. Print. P.226.
[2] Grant, Adam. Give and Take. P.226.
[3] Galatians 3:23-29.
[4] Koester, Craig. “Opportunity to Do Good: The Letter to the Galatians.” Word and World. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 2.Sept.1989. Web. Jun. 15.2016. 
[5] Revelation 20:13-14. 
[6] Koester, Craig. “Opportunity to Do Good: The Letter to the Galatians.”
[7] Grant, Adam. Give and Take. P.226.

First Lesson: 1 Kings 21: 1-10, (11-14), 15-21a
Responsive Reading: Psalm 5: 1-8
Second Lesson: Galatians 2: 15-21
Gospel Lesson: Luke 7: 36 - 8:3

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Let me begin with a story about with story about Grandma.  Grandma was one-time hosting a dinner party.  Grandma put out her best napkins, finest china, and the sterling silver.  Grandma then invites the guests to gather around the table.  Everyone wondered what Grandma was going to serve? Grandma proceeds to place boxes of Girl Scout cookies on everyone’s plate.  People were unsure how to react.  The answer to what would be the main course on this day people would soon receive as Grandma proceeded to sit down and open up her box of cookies.  Now what I love about Grandma is I know very few people who would ever think of doing what she did here. Grandma always keeps people guessing.  Grandma refuses to look at the world like other people look at the world.  What I want to talk about today is why our judgments of “How the world should work?” often need to be abandoned especially when it comes to forgiveness.  

Many of us know the story of a woman that I’ll call Sarah that lived in a town in Samaria called Sychar.  Sarah had been married five times before and was now living with another guy.  Sarah was one day out fetching water when she encountered Jesus.  Sarah and Jesus meeting each other would have been a scandal on three different levels. 1. Jesus was going to be talking to a woman that wasn’t his wife.  Such a form of outreach would have been unheard of for a religious leader within Jesus’ day.  2. Sarah was a Samaritan, Samaritans and Jews were long-standing rivals.  Samaritans were considered to be “sell-outs” or “phony” Jews on account of their marriages to a foreign woman and worship of foreign gods.  3. Besides being a Samaritan, Sarah had an extremely questionable reputation besides this.  There would have been no reason other than grace for Jesus to interact with Sarah from Sychar.  Sarah’s past didn’t stop Jesus from offering her “living water” which sprung forth from the spring of forgiveness.  We know this story of Sarah.  But maybe what we haven’t considered is what happened to Sarah after she encountered Jesus.  Did Sarah backslide in her relationships and her faith? Did Sarah maybe get married a few more times? How did people respond to Sarah after she encountered Jesus?

What I want to do this morning is tell you the story of a woman who very well could be Sarah.  I want to tell you the story of a lady who had nowhere to turn in the world until she encountered Jesus.  A woman who was so moved by her previous encounter with Jesus that she had to see him again.  She would even go so far into break into a dinner party uninvited to see him.  I want to tell you the story of the sequel to the woman at the well in Sychar[1]. 

Simon was a successful and serious man[2].  Simon never missed a Sabbath day at the synagogue.  Simon was generous towards others with his income. Simon’s language was always wholesome.  Simon was never a drunkard.  Simon was a good and faithful husband.  Even those who knew Simon best couldn’t say anything bad about him.  Simon had heard about Jesus and wanted to invite him over to dinner.  Simon’s invitations because of his place in the community where always accepted.  Sure, Jesus was becoming quite well-known as he joined Simon for dinner.  Word had been spreading about him raising The Widow of Nain’s son throughout the countryside. 

As Jesus walked into Simon’s house, though, he noticed something about Simon’s greeting.  Simon was friendly, but Simon was cold[3].  Simon offered no sort of embrace or touch towards Jesus.  Simon was failing to make eye-contact.  Simon didn’t offer Jesus any traditional amenities given to guests such as a basin to wash his feet or oil to wash his hands.  Simon was acting like he was the one doing Jesus a favor by inviting him over for dinner.

On the other side of town was a woman like Sarah from Sychar.  The woman with the questionable past heard that Jesus was eating at Simon’s house.  She was impulsive and decided that she had to see Jesus right away to “thank him” for what he had previously done for her.  She like Grandma didn’t tend to do things though the way that ordinary people do things.  She wasn’t going to wait for the next day.  She wasn’t going not to make a dramatic scene. She was going to break into Simon’s house uninvited.  She was going to fall at Jesus’ feet.  She was going to pour ointment upon these feet, and she was going to dry these feet with her hair.  Simon would watch this whole scene in shock.

Simon would never dare to have a woman like Sarah from Sychar in his house. Simon was embarrassed in front of his friends.  Simon looked at this woman and saw a mess.  Her wardrobe was showing off in Simon’s mind too much skin.  Simon looked at this woman’s behavior and deemed her to be nothing but a “sinner” with criminal tendencies. 

Jesus had to say something now to Simon.  Was Simon wrong in his assessment of the woman like Sarah from Sychar? No, but there was more to this story then Simon was considering. 
Jesus started talking about money.  Jesus talked about money quite a bit because he knew people like successful Simon would understand it. 

A certain creditor had two debtors, one owed five hundred days wages, and the other fifty days wages.  When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them.  Now, which of them will love him more[4]?” 

The whole scene in our story from earlier begins to make sense finally with Simon being so cold to Jesus and the woman like Sarah from Sychar being so warm.  Simon understood the meaning of Jesus’ words regarding the depths of forgiveness.

Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he, who is forgiven little, loves little[5].

And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace[6].”

You see forgiveness is not conditional; forgiveness is final.  We can’t grasp the unconditional because everything else in the world is seemingly conditional.  The same terms for Simon and Sarah from Sychar, it just doesn’t make any sense. 

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered to be the greatest American architect ever[7].  What you might not know about Wright is his career contains more twists and turns than you could imagine for someone of his status.  From the years of 1924-1933, Wright’s career fell apart.  Wright was unemployed after having been at the top of his profession.  The only person that would hire him was his cousin. Wright was struggling to buy groceries.  What happened was Wright took advantage of everyone he came across, because he believed that he was so talented that he could.  In the year 1932, Wright decided to undertake a complete change in philosophy as Wright took in more apprentices to assist him.  After Wright had come to terms with his weakness, his career began to turn as he begins to work with others in designing the Fallingwater house which is considered the greatest triumph in American Architecture[8].  Frank Lloyd Wright was in many ways like Simon.  Lloyd Wright couldn’t shake from his head that he was better than those around him by his accomplishments.  The biggest problem with Lloyd Wright’s thinking though is pride ultimately does cometh before the fall.  Falls are inevitable.  What forgiveness says to us though is there can be a way forward. 

When Thomas Edison was working on the light bulb, there is a story that you might not know[9].  The light bulb in its initials stages was such a complex project that it took a team of men twenty-four hours to put it together.  When the first working version got completed, Edison handed it to a young boy helper to take it up the stairs.  The helper had spent hours watching the team work together and feared to let Edison down.  As the helper walks up the steps, his worst possible scenario becomes reality.  He dropped the light bulb, and it broke upon the floor.  Edison’s team has to start the process over again for another twenty-four hours.  What’s interesting though about the story is not that the light bulb broke, it’s rather “Who do you suppose Edison had carry the bulb up the steps next time[10]?”  Who was more grateful either the one who owed five hundred days wages or the one who owed fifty days wages? Who was more grateful Sarah from Sychar or Simon?

You see forgiveness truly does have the power to change the world.  In 2012, Chandler Gerber was driving down a remote Indiana Highway on the way to work[11].  Gerber figured that he was safe to text his wife.  Gerber didn’t see the Amish buggy on the road ahead of him causing a crash at 60 mph.  The scene was bad: the crash destroys the buggy, the horse was injured, and a three-year-old and a five-year-old child were dead.  Weeks after the accident Gerber received a letter from the deceased children’s parents which I read this morning:

Dear Ones,
Trusting in God's ways, how does this find you? Hope all in good health and in good cheer. Around here we're all on the go and trying to make the best we can. I always wonder if we take enough time with our children. Wishing you the best with your little one and the unknown future. I think of you often. Keep looking up. God is always there.
Sincerely,
Martin and Mary Swartz[12].
 
For many people such a response is unfathomable.  Who did Chandler Gerber think that he was?  How ignorant are Martin and Mary Swartz? The thing though is we often get forgiveness wrong.  We too often believe forgiveness as being a form of weakness[13]. If Simon compared himself to Sarah from Sychar, then he has to admit that he’s just as messed up as she is.  Forgiveness though is not about weakness; forgiveness is rather about hope and promise. Forgiveness is about extending a claim that the past does not have absolute power over your life.  Once Sarah from Sychar encounters Jesus, her life was never going to be the same again because Jesus sought to take away the past’s power.  Forgiveness says the world will not remain full of poison and despair forever[14].  Forgiveness ultimately points us towards the cross.  Forgiveness gives life to the dead.  A woman at the well in Sychar was spiritually dead; Jesus gave unto her living water.  Simon couldn’t make sense of this until Jesus offered him that same water too.  Amen
 
 


[1] Church Tradition has never identified the identity of the “sinful woman” from Luke 7.  Common tradition has identified her with Mary Magdalene. Less common tradition associates this woman with the woman taken in adultery from John 8.  My version of the story is more creative tying this woman in with the Sychar woman. 
[2] Text study courtesy of Markquart, Ed. “Anointing of Jesus’ Feet with Oil: Gospel Analysis.”  Sermons from Seattle. Pentecost 3C. Web. June.7.2016.  
[3] Markquart, Ed. “Anointing of Jesus’ Feet with Oil: Gospel Analysis.”
[4] Luke 7:41-42
[5] Luke 7:48
[6] Luke 7:50
[7] Grant, Adam. Give and Take. Penguin Books. New York. 2013. Print. P.67-72. 
[8] Grant, Adam. Give and Take.
[9] Zingale, Tim. “are forgiven”. Sermon Central. 11. June.2007. Web. June. 7.2016. 
[10] Zingale, Tim. “are forgiven”.
[11] Pomeroy, Ross. “The Power of Forgiveness.” Real Clear Science:The Newton Blog. 27. Aug.2013. Web. June.7.2016.
[12] This letter was read in the You Tube video entitled “From One Second to the Next” by Werner Herzog placed online on Aug.7.2013.  
[13] Pomeroy, Ross. “The Power of Forgiveness.”
[14] Pomeroy, Ross. “The Power of Forgiveness.”

First Lesson: 1 Kings 17: 8-16, (17-24)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 146
Second Lesson: Galatians 1: 11-24
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 7: 11-17

 
Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Luke 7:11- I want to tell you this morning the story of a woman that I’ll call Joanna who lived in a town called Nain.  Joanna’s life was nothing special.  She lived in a conventional home of stone and mud-brick.  She spent her days like any other woman around: grinding wheat, fetching water, cooking meals, and cleaning clothes.  During the Galilean harvest, Joanna would help gather olives. One thing you should know about Joanna is that a few years ago, she had become a widow.  Joanna’s husband’s was a good and kind man who she missed every day.  The thing about death though is it seems to be so certain that life has to go on as normal.  Joanna’s life was now in the care of her son that we will call Jonathan.  Jonathan was Joanna’s only son.  Joanna was unable to conceive any additional children.  Another thing that you need to know about Joanna is that her entire existence was dependent on being cared for by the men in her family.  While this might not make much sense today, this was the reality of the world in which Joanna lived.  Women in Joanna’s day were not able to get jobs as a way to pay the bills nor were they able to inherit the land.  Joanna never saw this as a problem because she had her young strapping son taking care of her.  Everything seemed to be going well until one day.  Jonathan grew ill, at first, it appeared to be nothing.  Jonathan’s condition kept growing worse until he breathed his last breath.  Joanna screamed out at agony upon witnessing Jonathan’s death.  Joanna was going to be forced to bury her own child.  Joanna was going to be living every parent’s worst nightmare!
 
Luke 7:12- Jonathan’s funeral procession took place the very next day.  Such a practice was the Jewish custom.  Jews from all over Nain came to grieve Joanna’s loss.  People were sad not because they knew Joanna real well.  Joanna was like a movie character who even though you don’t know them, you weep for their circumstances.  Joanna was the woman who had a tornado destroy her home, only to have no insurance to rebuild it.  So Jonathan’s funeral procession began to march away from the city gate to bury Jonathan.  At the same time, Joanna began to walk away from Nain, a large crowd that appeared to be at least a dozen people is approaching the city.  The funeral procession soon meets the traveling party.  Joanna knew nothing about who was in this crowd.  Both groups exchange eye-contact but no answers appear to be forthcoming.
 
Luke 7:13- A man steps from out of the crowd approaching Joanna.  The man didn’t look out of the ordinary.  Joanna had no idea why this man would approach her.  There would seem to be no reason for this man to care especially about the fate of Jonathan.  This man begins to speak “ Do not weep.”  Who is this guy, Joanna wondered?  How can I not weep, I am alone, and I will live the rest of my life as a charity case.  These words initially struck Joanna as “insensitive” or “thoughtless.”  The man from the crowd though had compassion upon Joanna.  You see compassion is a funny thing.  Compassion is not merely issuing beautiful words of comfort.  Compassion is action when the action doesn’t benefit you in any way, shape, or form. Compassion is a Samatrian man helping his natural enemy who lies beaten on the side of the road[1].  The man from the crowd for his act of compassion was going to approach Jonathan’s body.
 
Luke 7:14- I should tell you a little bit more about this man and the funeral scene.  Jonathan did not lay in a box or a coffin like they do today.  Instead, Jonathan was being carried out in the open for the entire world to see.  The man from the crowd does something shocking and unexpected as the people look on.  The man from the crowd touches Jonathan’s body.  The man from the crowd’s touch was shocking and in violation of Jewish customs.  “Whoever touches the body of a dead person shall be unclean for seven days,” says the Book of Numbers. [2] The man from the crowd though expressed a comfort level in the presence of death like no one else that Joanna had seen before.  The Rabbis would never dare do such a thing as the man from the crowd did.  The man from the crowd touched death.  The man from the crowd reached to feel death’s reality.  The man from the crowd attempted to bring the dead back to life.  “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
 
People wondered upon hearing these words, who was the man from the crowd to be able to demand such things.  Tension began to build within the group, wondering what might happen next as soon as they hear these words.   Hundreds of people were now quiet enough that you could hear a pin drop.   Honestly, people weren’t expecting much. Death was the team losing 44-0 with two minutes left on the clock.  No amount of motivational speeches would turn around a hopeless situation.    
 
Luke 7:15- Yet then it happened! Imagine the most shocking thing that you have seen in your life and multiply it by eternity.  It was the man from the crowd’s touch and words that Jonathan rose back up to life like nothing was even wrong in the first place. Jonathan leaped off the funeral bier into Joanna’s embrace. The crowd cheered like the Twins had just won the World Series!  Exuberance was all around!  There was still an important question left to answer. Why would the man from the crowd do such a thing? You see the man from the crowd had made a habit in his life of seeking to reach those who were powerless and felt invisible.  Later in his life, he would encounter a short man named Zacchaeus who was the least popular man in town[3].  The man from the crowd would even dare step into Zacchaeus’ home regardless of what anyone else thought about it.  Why Joanna? Why Jonathan[4]? No real reason at all.  Joanna never asks for Resurrection.  No one would cite Jonathan as a model of faith.  Joanna doesn’t know the man from the crowd’s name.  By the way, his name was Jesus, in case you were curious.  The man from the crowd sought to bestow grace on this day to both Joanna and Jonathan.  People will define grace all sorts of different ways.  I like to describe grace as what God does for us.  Grace is a healing of the obstacles of sin and death that we cannot overcome on our own.  Grace would come down from heaven to earth in an even more dramatic fashion later though within the man from the crowd’s life.
 
Luke 7:16- The crowd was amazed at what they had seen.  “A great prophet has arisen among us.”  There had been great prophets who performed miracles before.  Moses parted the Red Sea[5].  Elijah had called down fire from heaven[6]. Both Elijah and Elisha had raised widow’s sons from the dead[7].  What had happened on this day though was different.  The man from the crowd doesn’t pray to God to act.  The man from the crowd invoked God by himself.  It was almost as if this ordinary looking man from the crowd was God or something like that.  The man from the crowd would soon do what neither Moses, Elijah, or Elisha had done before him.  The man from the crowd would soon overcome the grave on his own.  He would walk out of his only tomb like nothing was wrong in the first place just like in the story of Joanna and Jonathan.   “God has truly come to help his people.”
 
Luke 7:17- Word of this miracle in Nain began to spread throughout all the land.  Even John the Baptist heard this story as he sat in prison.  The point of the story of Joanna, Jonathan, and the man from the crowd is this.  Brokenness is in the world around us[8].  There is no greater sign of this brokenness than death[9].  What we see today in the story of Joanna and Jonathan is brokenness is not God’s intention for humanity.  God does not will cancer!  God does not will poverty! God does not will suffering[10]!  The main point of our story is that there will be times in our life when we feel like Joanna.  We will lose people that we dearly love. We will have moments where we long for the smallest signs of hope. We will wish that there is a prophet that comes out of the crowd to touch the dead and bring them back to life[11].  What our story reminds us is that Resurrection can happen at any moment.  The man from the crowd can bring hope in the midst of your great brokenness.  The following story is our Gospel lesson of Jesus healing the Widow of Nain’s Son[12].  Amen
 
 


[1] Luke 10:25-37. 
[2] Numbers 19:11
[3] Luke 19:1-10
[4] Buchanan, Rev. Dr. Kimberleigh. “ From Procession to Party.”. Day 1. 10. June.2007. Web. May.30.2016.
[5] Exodus 14:21
[6] 1 Kings 18:38
[7] 1 Kings 17:22, 2 Kings 4:34
[8] Zingale, Tim. “Jesus’ Loving Heart”. Sermon Central. June 2007. Web. May.30.2016.
[9] Romans 6:23.
[10] Zingale, Tim. “Jesus’ Loving Heart”
[11] Lind Hogan, Lucy. “Commentary on Luke 7:11-17”.  Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, Minnesota. 05.June.2016. Web. May.29.2016.
[12] Luke 7:11-17.