Sermon for August 7, 2022 – 9th Sunday after Pentecost
Solidarity with the Poor: A Transformative Relationship
If we look at the whole of Luke’s gospel as a single unit, it tells the journey of Jesus from his birth in Bethlehem, to his childhood in Nazareth. It narrates his public ministry that begins in Capernaum, on the shores of Galilee, and continues as he makes his way south from Galilee, through the region of Samaria, and through his final weeks in Jerusalem, the heart of the former Kingdom of Judah, which is now under Roman occupation. Through the stories of Luke, we accompany Jesus as he moves along this journey, and we hear teachings and parables about God’s relationship to us, about discipleship, and how we are to act and interact with others around us.
Today’s gospel picks up right where we left off last week, with Jesus continuing to talk about money, our relationship with our possessions, and how we define ourselves, for better or worse, by the “stuff” we have accumulated. Jesus takes this conversation further and presents us with some more thoughts for us to reflect upon in the context of our own lives.
There are a number of movements in the Gospel reading this morning. They are not really disconnected, but the transitions aren’t smooth enough for this to make sense as a single unit.
The passage begins with a delightful statement found only in Luke: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” These words speak an unqualified promise about God. There is nothing we can do to earn it. There is nothing we can do to gain favor with God. The kingdom is given to us because of God’s good pleasure to give. These words root God’s generosity in God’s desire. Jesus has just spoken about trusting God while also seeking, or striving for, the Kingdom. Now he reminds us that the point isn’t to coax a grumpy deity into being nice to us. Rather, God eagerly wants the Kingdom. God desires to be in close relationship with Creation. Why, we might ask? Because that’s God’s good pleasure. God is not some disconnected supreme being that once Creation was made, is now sitting back to watch the universe unfold as it will. God is involved and wants to be involved, to be in close relationship with the very things God created; including not least of all you and me. This is good news and it is reassuring that God is present with us as we make our earthly pilgrimages, especially before Jesus quickly moves on to more disquieting material in the next few verses.
The second piece of the passage is a compact set of teachings about cashing in one’s possessions, giving alms, and securing treasure in heaven. Parts of these verses have parallels in Matthew, but the emphasis on selling possessions and using the proceeds to give alms is distinctive to Luke’s gospel. Does Jesus really want each of us to sell all of our possessions and give away the proceeds? Or is it more of a call to a deeper awareness of what we do with our time, talents, and treasures? Luke is not entirely clear but this fits into his broader narrative as a recurring theme of giving to and supporting the poor.
Then, what seems like taking a hard turn, Jesus tells a parable about slaves who wait vigilantly for their lord to return home. This is not a passive waiting, sitting idly by as time ticks away, but attentive preparation. The imagery in this parable resembles what we find in similar parables in Matthew and Mark, but they are not quite parallels because Luke has his own points to make. Luke wants to lift up that faithfulness demands diligence, however the parable also highlights the surprise of a master who chooses to serve dinner to his slaves. Normally the opposite would be expected. Even the slaves in the parable appear to be caught unaware by their master’s hospitality, since presumably they have done what Jesus tells his audience to do: gird their loins in preparation for service. This inversion of social roles between lord and slaves illustrates the new relationships envisioned through the almsgiving mentioned in the preceding verses. It is an inversion that Keith lights the Kingdom of God, where the last shall be first and the first shall be last.
In the final movement, Jesus continues to discuss the need for readiness, but the imagery shifts again dramatically. Jesus speaks of a householder who needs to remain alert because a thief will not let him know when the break-in will occur. Jesus is implying that some risk is involved in following the will of God. Jesus doesn’t calm every fear. Some things remain fearful, theologically speaking. Security therefore remains elusive in this passage, at least how we define it.
So, there’s a lot happening in this passage, and we can break this down in many ways, but I think Jesus’ focus on wealth and generosity deserves additional attention, especially since this is such an important topic throughout Luke.
At least Jesus is not very ambiguous in those short verses. Relinquishing possessions and giving alms results in security. It is an escape from the deterioration, the image of worn out coin purses comes to mind, that is part of our ongoing economic anxiety. This escape correlates to depositing “treasure in heaven” that is securely held.
When Jesus declares “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” he says that we can train our wills and our ways of thinking through the ways we use our money; for that is what the heart symbolized in his culture. Spend it all on yourself, guess where your heart will go. Give it to those in need, your heart will go where God wants it to go. Moreover, your heart will find God in the process, for there is a sacramental aspect to charity, in which God becomes present to givers through those who receive and need their gifts. It is no longer transactional because it is reciprocal; we give and receive at the same time thereby creating a transformative relationship that creates a more level playing field for all of us.
We often fret about how to connect with God in our daily lives. We seek out ways to connect to the depths of the wider the universe. We try different spiritual practices to connect with God; like through contemplative prayer in silence and stillness, or through movement like yoga or going for a walk or a run. Even gardening or simple household chores can become spiritual acts that connect us more deeply to God. But, perhaps the answer to our longing for connection isn’t so complex, according to these verses. Perhaps our giving and serving others is a spiritual act that draws us more closely to God. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. There are so many competing interests in our lives that can easily distract us from our call to discipleship, including our attachments to our stuff.
To appreciate this difficulty, it is also important to note that Jesus is speaking about more than writing checks. According to him, “almsgiving” involves more than charity in a transactional way, in which the wealthy give their excess to the poor. Almsgiving is an expression of true solidarity with others. This is a solidarity that refuses to let inequalities stand. Jesus is not interested in correcting abuses or disadvantages that tend to pop up in the current world order. His vision is much more radical -- in the sense of elemental -- than that. Jesus wants his followers, in their radical dependence on him, to enact nothing less than a reversal of the world as it is presently known; to break the wheel.
In other words, Jesus calls for a shift away from a world in which some people survive only because more privileged people chose to act morally from time to time. He has in mind, instead, a different world, or “kingdom.” With Jesus, that kingdom has arrived. If indeed the kingdom of God is among us, then that reality entails the destruction of old categories and demarcations. Almsgiving isn’t about offerings that help those with less money; it must be about sharing power and advantage. Such transformative solidarity creates “unfailing treasure in heaven.” Such transformative solidarity with the poor resonates with the very heart of God and brings about the Kingdom of God in the here and now. Amen.
