Ramblings

Afraid to ask – 9/20/2015

Scott Adams the "Dilbert" cartoonist once famously asked, "If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? So, what do you think? Are there any stupid questions? Or are you of the mind that there are only thoughtless people?

I don't think there are stupid questions or people. I do believe however, that there are pointless questions, "like why does that screwdriver belong to Philip?" I also believe that there are unanswerable questions, for example, how is Christ present "in, with and under" in Holy Communion? I also believe that there are questions that make no sense like "how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

But in all of these cases the problem is more often than not a question of perspective. For example, when the recent New Horizons space probe reached Pluto, a person could wonder how it managed to carry enough fuel to travel that far. To anyone who knows how physics works that may sound like a "stupid" question, however for the people who ask that question, to those without an understanding of physics, the question was reasonable. Of course there are those queries that are deliberately pointless and asked more as a joke. Nevertheless, even with those questions, sometimes the answers can be stimulating.

It would be nice then --- as disciples of Jesus --- knowing that "there are no stupid questions" --- to export this model --- especially in regards to questions of faith. But, unfortunately that has not been my experience. Rather, I think many of us would prefer to not admit that we have questions at all, especially about God and faith. And since we don't like to ask, we don't like to answer. We do not model "there are no stupid questions" in regards to faith.

Why is it that? Why as people of faith do we not like to admit that we do not have all the answers and find it difficult to ask questions of and about God? It could be because we don't want to appear less smart than those Baptist's or Catholics. Or it could be that we don't want others to think that we need more help to understand. We need not feel that badly however, because if you haven't notice, the disciples had the same problem. They were no different from us. Instead, like many of us, these disciples did what many of us do, either they went along with the crowd, or if they did ask a question, they proceeded to ask the wrong one to avoid the question they really wanted to ask.

If you don't believe me, let us review our Gospel. If this lesson sounds familiar it could be because you heard something similar last week, but the location was different. This is the second of what is known as the three passion statements made by Jesus in the book of Mark.  The first was the one we heard last week, in the region of Caesarea Philippi.  Today it is Capernaum, Jesus' home base.  The last one will be "on the way" to Jerusalem.

Although in different locations in all three passion statements, the message is the same: "the Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." To which the disciples respond differently each time. Last week, Peter rebuked Jesus. Today we hear that "they did not understand what Jesus was saying and were afraid to ask him." In the third, we hear how the disciples begin to wonder if that means that they will receive places of glory in heaven.

Today, we are told that the disciples "did not understand what he was saying." That could mean a few things right off the bat. Maybe they couldn't hear him. I get that a lot. Or maybe the concept was just too mysterious for them --- especially the whole Son of Man thing and the rising again part. Or perhaps the idea of Jesus being arrested and killed was simply inconceivable --- too ridiculous to be understood in any way. But in this case we also have added information about the disciples' understanding, or lack thereof. "They were afraid to ask him."

Why were they afraid to ask? What was there to be scared of? After all, wasn't this Jesus, their friend and teacher we are talking about? Why should they be afraid to ask Jesus a question --- isn't that what a disciple means?

Were the disciples afraid because the last time Jesus said something about dying and rising, Peter rebuked Jesus --- and in response Peter was asked to step aside because he really didn't understand what a messiah meant? Or were they afraid of Jesus himself, a man who could cure might be able zap them? Or… perhaps they were afraid to ask --- because they now had an inkling that there was some truth in what they desperately hoped was not the case.

Possibly they were "afraid to ask" not because they were afraid of asking a silly question, but afraid of what this would mean for them. They had left everything to follow Jesus. Had they made a mistake? Was it all for nothing? What would become of them now?

Well, we could go on wondering why the disciples didn't ask, but it doesn't end there. Because the disciples did what some of us do when we don't understand something and are afraid. We change the subject. "Then they came to Capernaum; and when Jesus was in the house, Jesus asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the way?' But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest."

Ironic isn't it? The disciples were to "afraid to ask," but Jesus wasn't. "What were you arguing about on the way?" It seems so much like one of those 'Garden of Eden' questions that makes us realize there is no hiding from God. "Who told you that you were naked?" Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent who had no one to blame. In this case, the disciples 'kept silent.'

As it turns out, the disciples had been discussing their own personal reputation and prestige. In response, however, Jesus does not call them stupid rather Jesus provides an answer to their questions with "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." And to illustrate, we are told that Jesus "took a child and put it among them; and taking the child in his arms, Jesus said to them, 'Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'"

Notice carefully that Jesus is not saying that we should not strive to use and cultivate the gifts God has given us to the best of our ability. Rather, Jesus is teaching us how we are to use these gifts in a healthy way.

Not only is it an interesting response to the fact that earlier the disciples had been too afraid to ask Jesus any questions, but an interesting teaching event. Because have you ever noticed that an important attribute that makes a child a child is the questions they ask?

Children try hard to make sense of the world, and questions are how children begin to piece together a working understanding of how the world works, and of their place in it. The questions may be practical or knowledge-building, or they may be signs of creativity and playfulness. Questions are important because children are actively trying to puzzle things out, and they want input to help them do so. Children ask adults questions because they trust that because of our greater experience we will be able to provide the answers they're looking for. They feel safe asking almost anything, because there is relationship.

Jesus may have been using this illustration as well because as we age, the questions slow down until finally they become a trickle, and the adults become the ones who have to ask questions to drag grudging responses out of adolescents. We adults may do this because we have acquired enough knowledge about a subject that we believe we know all we need to know. Sometimes it's because we're confused, or struggling with the basics, and we don't want anyone else to know that, because we're afraid we'll look stupid. Or it could be because we are jaded, and no longer believe there is any truth or any authority.

Sometimes we've been told, either implicitly or explicitly, that it's not OK to ask certain questions, or that it's not OK to ask questions at all, or that there are certain questions that are off-limits, because asking questions implies that we're not faithful for example. Somehow we have that impression that questioning equals doubt, and that doubt is the opposite of faith.

By lifting up a child when the disciples themselves had been shown to be afraid to question may be reminding us that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but fear --- fear to ask questions.

In lifting up a child, Jesus is reminding us that God's kingdom is upside down from the way things typically work in this world. We have questions! We will always have questions, we will always struggle to see how God is working, we will always find things mysterious, and we'll always be puzzled at what God is up to.

And as disciples not only can we ask questions but in God's Kingdom we are received and receive others as those like us, who do not know everything. It is perfectly fine to admit that we don't understand and to question how something could possibly be. And to ask is a holy thing. Holy in that we are to join with all who ask "why," who yearn for deeper understanding and wisdom, trusting God to provide answers, and asking our questions again and again until we begin to grow in understanding. Holy means that as disciples we are a learning band of sisters and brothers, where wisdom is not what we claim for ourselves or establish by means of the strongest arguments, or the most answers, the most votes or how many others we draw to our flag. Nor is this holy learning band of sisters and brothers come from bullying others into a point of view. Instead in the Kingdom of God, discipleship is exercised through being a "servant of all."

Being servant people, a servant community presumes that we are also a learning people and community. It is based on the fact that the toddler didn't understand what Jesus was doing in today's gospel; the child simply was wrapped in God's arms. I like that image because in reminds me that Jesus has wrapped his arms around us in our baptism. That means that as learning community, we are set free from all of the competition and arguing and striving to be greater than those with whom we work or live or whose wisdom we admire.

Instead, as a learning community we can be all about questions, receptive to days of Pentecost when it was the Holy Spirit that opened the mind of the disciples to some answers as well as more questions as they journeyed from Jerusalem to the world. What that means is that if there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do Christians ask? All kinds because the way of the cross after all is the path of foolishness, a stumbling block, where we don't have all the answers and where an innocent questioning child is a model of faith and we are servants of all. Amen.

Words – 9/13/2015

Sermon based on James 3: 1-12 and Mark 8: 27-38. During this past spring's NCAA men's college basketball tournament, otherwise known as March Madness, a player from the University of Wisconsin had an embarrassing moment. Nigel Hayes didn't miss a last second shot or foul out. His faux pas didn't happen in front of millions viewing the game on television on the basketball court. It occurred while chatting with a handful of reporters in a room during a press conference.

It seems that throughout the tournament, Hayes was enamored with the female stenographers who wrote down his every word. The host of the press conference who had noticed this quirky admiration, playfully asked Hayes if there was anything he wanted to say to the stenographers before they started the press conference.

After uttering a nonsense word in an apparent attempt to confound the work of the stenographers, Hayes then turned to the teammate sitting on his right and whispered, "[Gosh], she's beautiful." Hearing the muffled laughter of several reporters, Hayes then turned and asked, "Did you hear that?" Yup.

Of course, the microphone in front of him had amplified his attempt at a whisper. Everyone in the room had heard it, including the female stenographer that had caught his attention. Hayes raised his hands in front of his face, but he couldn't hide.

While that example may make us smile, they are the exceptions. Many of the so-called "hot mic gaffes" that go viral contain profane, sexist, racist or combative language. Hot mics have ruined political campaigns, careers of reporters and even strained international relations.

As any pastor can tell you, microphones can be very dangerous. Sometimes hot mics can land us in hot water or in bathrooms. They amplify everything. Even the things we wish they wouldn't.

While many of us may not spend much time near a microphone, all of us have experienced the power of words. What we say can embarrass, can hurt us or others and can devastate relationships. An illustration of that is from the movie Doubt, when the priest gave an illustration in his homily of an elderly priest who after private confession on the pain of gossip, told the woman as a sign of her penance, to take a feather pillow and cut it open on the rooftop of her home, then return to him. She did that and returned to the priest who told her that gossip was like those feathers scattered across the streets, now go back and pick them up.

Once leaving our lips, our words are out of our control. We can't get toothpaste back in the tube. The bell cannot be un-rung. The train has left the station. Our words may not "go viral," but they may "go virus," like feathers in the wind touching more people than we'd care to know.

Like a bit in a horse's mouth, or the rudder of a ship, in our second lesson, James teaches us that our tongues as a tiny fire can grow out of control and destroy everything around it, so, too, can a careless word wreak havoc upon relationships and reputations.

James' message in our second lesson seems pretty straight forward; a call to choose between words that hurt or words that heal. Just as they can bring pain, words can be used to bring healing to injured souls, because every word we speak falls into one of three categories: Emotionally hurtful, emotionally neutral or emotionally healing. And to be honest I don't think I have ever heard anyone suggest otherwise. So what do we do with this?

Before we answer, let us now turn to our Gospel, which is an interesting pairing with this second lesson. In our Gospel we listen to words being tossed about like confetti and we see how the tongue out of alignment with our hearts can get us into trouble.

It begins as Jesus and the disciples are traveling throughout the villages near "Caesarea of Philip," or, more commonly, "Caesarea Philippi." Just a reminder that Caesarea Philippi was a royal town built on the site of an earlier city named Paneas, after the Greek god Pan. Philip's father, Herod the Great, had built a temple and adjoining palace there in honor of Caesar Augustus. It is fitting that Jesus' teaching "on the way" should begin at a pagan site associated with the Emperor cult of Rome.

Well, as they are journeying "on the way," Jesus asks the disciples "who do people say that he is."  If this seems familiar it is because the disciples response echoes the story in Mark 6 when Herod heard of the success of the mission of the disciples.  Herod says that John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.  Others said it was Elijah.  Still others said "one of the prophets of old." Here, in chapter 8, we get the same response to the question:  John the Baptist, Elijah, or "one of the prophets."

Jesus then asks for the disciples' own response:  "But you, who do you say I am?"  Peter answers, "You are the Christ." Wow! …. A wonderful and clear example of a person saying the right thing at the right time. So far, so good --- or so we would think.

But in response, Jesus "sternly ordered" all the disciples and told them to say nothing about him.  Why? Wasn't it the right word and right time? Are these words from Peter somehow using the category of James as possibly emotionally hurtful?

To which Jesus follows with the following statement:  "And he began to teach them that it is necessary for the son of man to suffer greatly and to be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and to be killed, and after three days to rise."

Jesus has been teaching them all along, of course, but somehow this phrase, and "he began to teach them" marks a transition and a new beginning. What Peter had said with his words was accurate, but what Peter and the others did not know was what the word meant. "It is necessary," translated from Greek in our NRSV as "must," indicates that the passion of Jesus must take place and that the "son of man" will "suffer greatly and be rejected" by a conspiracy. Jesus also says the "son of man" will "rise" which for us this side of Easter, partially eases what has preceded it, but nevertheless it is not what Peter and disciples are expecting.

With that in mind, we can understand why Peter who had just said the right word at the right time, "Took him" and "rebuked" Jesus. It wasn't the disciples who did not understand the word "Messiah" it was Jesus. But Jesus "turned" and "rebuked" him back.

This is no minor discussion on words like whether it should be "route" or "root; "crick or creek". Rather, the word for "rebuked" is epitimao in Greek, which is also used when Jesus silences demons. In other words, to take it step by step, Peter said Jesus is the "Messiah," which Jesus "sternly orders - Quiet." Jesus says the "son of man must suffer," which Peter "rebukes." Jesus "rebukes" his "rebuke" and calls Peter "Satan" to boot. The language is stark and hardly seems to fall into the categories as defined by James; is not Peter right? And as we know now, Jesus is right as well. So, where would we put this conversation between Jesus, Peter and the disciples in light of James' vision; so what gives?

Words are windows to the heart. If we believe God is active and that Jesus is alive in the world, then the question posed to us is not whether we confess Jesus as the Messiah. That is the easy part. We can run around and say those words as often as we wish. The question then becomes however what does "Messiah" mean? How do our expectations not align with God's?

For example, in response, Jesus gathers the crowds together with the disciples and goes on to add some depth into the word … painting what the word "messiah" means. Jesus adds, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

I think Jesus does this in order to get the disciples and the people on the same page --- word with heart. He tells them --- and us --- one more time what this is about.

We find that it isn't about us.  It isn't about us saving our lives or anybody else's.  It isn't about us guaranteeing our spot with Jesus in heaven.  It isn't about being able to say the right thing at the right time, like we are practicing for a funeral. It isn't about us at all.  It is instead about Jesus, about the way of the cross, the way of being in the world, the alignment of heart with word.

It's not enough to just hear about how powerful our words are, how they may hurt, be neutral or emotionally healing.  If we want to have tongues of angels, then we are to begin where are, in faith, aligning our hearts and minds, our actions with our words with God's intent through Jesus.  And I know that is easier said than done, because, there have been many times that my words have been like my heart, feathers from a cut open feather pillow in a hurricane, landing and hurting far beyond what I could have ever imagined. How I wish I could run around and pick them up again and stuff them where they are supposed to be.

Words are powerful.  And in this word-saturated culture of ours, were people are doing a lot more talking than listening, we sometimes need to take time to reflect on this alignment.  To remember that speech is a form of power, and like all forms of power, we need to use word wisely because like power, words come from somewhere. Certainly we can take some quiet time to reflect on our own words in the past that have caused harm, and resolve to find the words now to bring that harm towards emotional healing.

Nevertheless the way of the cross is to remember we are all created in God's image, destined to align ourselves with God through Jesus Chist --- the way of the cross. For if Jesus is the messiah, and God's word is like a spring that pour's forth fresh water, than our words, like our lives, are to be aligned with the image of God hung on the cross. Amen.

Sparring – 9/6/2015

Sermon based on Mark 7: 24-37. Manny Pacquiao is a Filipino world champion professional boxer. Last spring, when preparing for his May 2 boxing bout against the undefeated American fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr., his trainer Freddie Roach spoke to a Manila reporter. Roach said that after seeing Pacquiao sparring with two separate training partners, he was going to raise the stakes and make his prized fighter work even harder.

For example, one of Pacquiao's sparring partners that day was Canada's Dierry Jean, who has a record of 28 wins. Trainer Roach said that in future training, he plans to have the Canadian fighter throw more right hands at Manny because "Mayweather throws a lot of right hands." Roach also said he instructed Manny's other sparring partner, Richard Sims, to run a bit more to cause Manny to chase him around the ring. "I ... want him to run a little bit like Mayweather does," said Roach.

In the world of professional boxing, and among other sports, there's nothing unusual about that report from the trainer. It's standard practice to have fighters train against other boxers. Sparring prepares, strengthens and conditions. It's a case of --- as the Book of Proverbs puts it: "Iron sharpens iron."

This matter of sparring, however, which is, going up against a contender for purposes of improving one's own output, is not limited to combat sports. As the second half of that same Proverbs verse goes: "Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another." In other words, sparring can be found in other areas of life. One place where, over the centuries, a kind of sparring was common was among the rabbis who studied Jewish law.

If you remember, a "rabbi" at the time of Jesus was not a special class of people, it was a term of respect, and it denoted that the person so addressed was considered a teacher and spiritual leader. It was understood then, that a rabbi would "spar" with others as "rabbis" struggled to answer the difficult questions of life and faith. What is interesting for us then --- in several places in the gospels --- Jesus' contemporaries address him as "rabbi." This is all helpful to remember, because when we keep in mind that people called Jesus "rabbi," and that rabbinic sparring was a common practice, it may provide another avenue for us to understand what may be going on in our gospel reading --- one that many of us find troubling.

The problem for many of us with this gospel event is that Jesus treats this Syrophoenician woman poorly. Let's review. The lesson begins by informing the reader and listener, that Jesus has retreated to Tyre, a Gentile area, and doesn't want anyone to know where he is. Jesus, in fact, is "preached out, prayed out and peopled out," as commentator John M. Rottman puts it. It seems that Jesus needs not only some down time, but more importantly, some alone time and some up time with God.

Somehow, word gets out that Jesus, now with a growing reputation as a healer, is in a house in a village in this region, and a women whose daughter has "an unclean spirit" --- locates this village and home and comes to ask for Jesus' help. She wants Jesus to heal --- whatever that means --- her daughter.

Now remember by the ordinary standards of the day, this Jewish Jesus was in his normal rights allowed to ignore her completely. First, she's a Gentile and Jews and Gentiles had centuries of unfriendly relationship between them. Second, she's a woman in a culture when it was considered improper for a woman to approach a man to whom she is not related. Even more so remember, Jesus is worn out, wanting only to rest and recharge. Given all of that, we're apt to hear Jesus' response to this woman as "Go away, and don't bother me."

That being said, that does not seem to excuse Jesus because Jesus said: "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." His meaning, apparently, is that his immediate mission is to the Jews, and it's not right to take the work that's meant for Jews and throw it to dogs --- the Gentiles.

To our modern ears that sounds --- well --- "un-Christ-like." It may soothe our thoughts that the word Jesus used that's usually translated into English as "dogs" was a diminutive, more like "puppies." Still, although we may have an image of puppy with dark brown eyes begging the master Jesus, that is not its intent, the diminutive simply makes the harsh word more polite. Is this a way to behave toward a woman who's desperate for help for her sick child?

The challenge with thinking of it from Jesus point of view is that it may blind us to not hearing the exchange the way this Syro-phoenician woman did. Just because we find it offensive may not mean that the woman did. For example, Biblical scholar N.T. Wright says this conversation could have been "teasing banter."

So, I am wondering, perhaps this encounter could have been an example of "sparring." If that where the case, then Jesus' comments to her about the "puppy dogs" is, in fact, an invitation to her to be his sparring partner.

We do not know for sure, but it is interesting that this woman does not seemingly hesitate. She retorts right back at Jesus: "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Now, if that interpretation of Jesus's response is possible --- that it was an invitation to spar, and she does --- we can almost see Jesus drawing an imaginary "point for her" chalk line on the wall for this sparring partner has struck a blow.

What makes this more interesting for me is that this would not be the only place in Scripture where we have sparring in the Bible. There are many other biblical precedents for sparring with God.

Another female example, is Hannah of the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel chapter 1 we find a woman by the name of Hannah persistent finally striking a deal with God. Hannah will have a baby but one she must give up to the Temple. We also have the incident when God told Abraham of the forthcoming destruction of Sodom. Abraham pushed back by asking God if God would spare the city if 50 honorable people could be found there. Abraham then whittled the number down, successively, to 45, 40, 30, 20 and 10. There's also the time when God, speaking from the burning bush, called Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Moses spent most of the ensuing conversation arguing that God had called the wrong person. Moses still ended up going, but, in the process, he received further assurance and the help he needed to succeed. And how about Gideon, called by God to lead the Israelites in casting off Midianite oppression. Before putting his life on the line for what would have been certain defeat, Gideon insisted that God prove himself to him with a wet-dry test involving some fleece.

There are of course other places --- in Habakkuk for example. Nonetheless, in each of these cases, important change took place in God, the debaters or through their subsequent actions.

So what do these Biblical example mean for us, not only today's event described by Mark but the other examples?

First and most importantly, it is a reminder that questioning, pushing back, expressing doubt, arguing even showing irreverence in our relationship with God is not out of bounds. We needn't fear that we'll offend God. God will have the final word, but we may receive insight, inspiration, understanding, and blessing --- or if not those things, at least the comfort that comes from having aired our grievances, even if the answer isn't what we'd hoped for.

Second, in today's particular story speaking plainly to God, not only about the things that nag us about God or about the will of God --- is an act of faith. Why else would we be talking to God at all? Our faith may be thin or weak, but, even in a diminished condition, faith sparring is a route to truth. What's more, our faith, weak or strong, doubted and or less than desired, can become a channel through which God can work and we can work with God.

In sparring with Jesus, this woman was, at least from Mark's point of view, serving as "iron that sharpened his iron." For it is from this point on that Jesus no longer limits his teaching to Jews. For example, besides the dog/puppy word choice of Jesus, when Jesus speaks of "children," the word teknon is used, which refers to "biological children." The woman however in her response speaks of paidion, another word for "children," but a more inclusive one because it includes the entire household, including those in household service. Furthermore notice that Jesus responds to this helpful sparring by the woman by telling her that it is her argument that he applauds --- "because of this word, go."

I can't help then and wonder, if there times where God may be inviting us to spar or we should be taking up the challenge to spar with a person in our community of faith? Are there times we may feel like the response from God is somehow "un-Christ like?" Elie Wiesel a Romanian born Jew famously describes his sparring with God in one of his books called Night. In this short book, Wiesel relates about his experiences as a prisoner in Auschwitz, Buna and Buchenwald concentration camps, the death of millions of Jews and faith. How could he keep his faith in the face of the absence of God in all those death?

Thoughtless belief is not praiseworthy. Ignoring doubts and questions is like ignoring mold in our walls. Rather sparring strengthens. If Jesus had not responded the way he did, perhaps this nameless woman would not have grown the way she did; her daughter may not have been healed. Likewise if this woman had not sparred with Jesus, Jesus ministry may not have moved the way it did. So, are there times that God may be inviting us to be God's sparring partners? Or perhaps enter into dialogue with someone whose faith attributes may inspire us? Or are there times we are hesitant, fearful at the thought of lifting our thoughts, questions or doubts? Perhaps it is sparring with God or another person of faith, that we will receive a blessing. Amen.

Tradition – 8/30/2015

Sermon based on Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23. One of the first movies I remember seeing when I was young was called: "Fiddler on the Roof." This academy award movie winning from 1971 was based on an earlier 1964 Broadway musical of the same name. For those who have not seen the movie or play, the story centers on Tevye and his wife Golda, the parents of five daughters. While trying to maintain their Jewish religious and cultural faith and traditions two influences, encroach upon the family's lives in late 19^th small village Russia. One challenge is the strong-willed actions of their three older daughters, who wish to marry for love --- and the other is an edict of expulsion by the Russian tsar.

The story unfolds this way. The couple employs a village matchmaker, a person who tries to match these three older daughters to prospective husbands.  Besides the music, dancing and color, as you can imagine the whole concept of matchmaking these three daughters was the most interesting for me a then a ten year old boy. As I said earlier however, the girls want to choose their own partners and not use the matchmaker. 

At first Tevye and Golda made arrangements for their oldest daughter, Tzietel, to marry a very wealthy man, the richest man in town but who also happened to be in his mid-fifties. The parents thought that this was a perfect match for their daughter. Meanwhile their eldest daughter didn't think so, and instead fell in love with a young, poor tailor.  In fact, he was so poor he didn't have enough money to buy a sewing machine. It culminates when this young couple, very much in love, built up their courage and came to the parents to ask if they could marry each other. Grudgingly the parents gave their consent.

Then came the second daughter, and it was the same story all over again.  She didn't use the choice from the matchmaker.  She went off to marry a soldier who was in Siberia.

Then we have the third daughter.  Not only did she not use the matchmaker; but worse yet, in fact the worst thing that could ever could happen to their family as they understood it, was that she fell in love with a non-Jew, with a Gentile, not only a Gentile … but a communist activist. Now, when this young couple came to Tevye and Golda and announced their intentions, the parents could bend no further. They refused to allow the marriage; ultimately kicked her out of the house, as well as declaring her dead.

Well, I was wondering about that movie as seen through the prism of our gospel story for today. It is not because of the obvious: both the movie and today's gospel involve Jews. Rather I think the movie provides an important avenue for us to understand this event as described in Mark.

Let us review. We find a story about some Jewish leaders, scribes and Pharisees, who were very good people, just like Tevye and Golda, good people arriving from Jerusalem.

Sometimes in our superficial reading of the New Testament, we think the scribes and Pharisees are somehow immoral.  Rather, these were good, faithful, upstanding people.  They were dedicated, just like Tevye and Golda were dedicated, to God, faith, family and community.  And these good scribes and Pharisees like Tevye and Golda had their traditions.  The Pharisees said grace before and after every meal.  The Pharisees went to worship every Friday night.  The Pharisees gave ten per cent of their income to the Lord.  The Pharisees turned eastward --- toward Jerusalem --- in prayer three times a day. The Pharisees washed their hands before meals as a sign of religious devotion.  These were good, faithful traditions.

Back to the story. As Mark shares, one day this group of tradition-loving Pharisees from the capital came to Jesus, and happened to notice, "Jesus, do you see what is happening over there?  Your disciples are starting to eat and they didn't wash their hands. Don't you know that people of faith like us wash our hands before dinner as a sign of piety to God?  And your disciples aren't doing that!  Jesus, what are you going to do about that?"  Now, why these disciples who also happened to be Jewish didn't do this on their own is never answered. Instead, the religious leaders look to Jesus, understood to be a religious leader, to correct these unobservant disciples.

It is a very basic point isn't it? What do faithful people do to be faithful? What are the interests of God and how do we serve them? Ritual is important and so are the manner and the degree to which we are distinct from the world around us. There can be no doubt about that. So the Pharisees have a good point.

Instead of correcting the disciples, Jesus said to these faithful and observant religious leaders, "The people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They leave the commandments of God, but hold fast to the traditions."  And Jesus said further, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandments of God in order to keep traditions.  In fact, you Pharisees are so loyal to traditions you avoid doing the commandments of God for love and mercy.  Your faith becomes a replacement for doing the work of God's mercy in the world."

What can we glean from this event? Well at this point in my life, I think Jesus teaches two lessons:  First, as people of faith we need to constantly be aware of our priorities --- people were prioritizing traditions over the more important commandments of God to love and secondly, and more subtly, faithful traditions can become replacements for carrying out God's work of mercy and justice in the midst of the human misery of the world.

Let's review the first point. The tendency of good, faithful people to prioritize traditions over the commandments of love and mercy.  As we all well realize, history is filled with examples of people fighting and killing each other because of conflicts over traditions in religion.  More battles may have been fought over faithful religious observance than any other cause.  And some of the bloodiest chapters of history come when the commandment to love is secondary, and people start fighting with each other. And then the Christian faith, for example, rather than being a source of harmony, love, and unity, becomes a source of conflict.

I love that story --- a classic example of people fighting over traditional priorities --- found in Gulliver's Travels. As described in the book, Gulliver was on his way to land called Lilliput, and when he came to Lilliput, he found that there was one group in Lilliput that believed that eggs should be cracked at the big end. There was another group in Lilliput that believed that eggs should be cracked at the little end.  And so the "big enders" and the "little enders" began having a battle.  The "big enders" and the "little enders" fought to the complete ruin of the whole country. In other words, the priority of cracking the egg becomes secondary to how the egg is cracked.

The second point that Jesus is teaching today is equally true.  Sometimes good, ordinary faithful people like you and me, sometimes use faith as a replacement for fulfilling the commandments to love, mercy and justice. Our faith instead of strengthening us for love becomes a reason not to love. We end up saying, "I may not love but I have my faith."

As is obvious; the purpose of Christ is to permeate all of life. Our faith is not to be the occasion whereby love is withdrawn from the suffering of the world.  But unfortunately in that process of faithful living we may mistakenly and naively make our lives in faith as an excuse for withdrawing from the struggles of other's misery.

Let me give you a tangible --- very minor --- example of what I mean. It always interests me as to why considering that fact that we have worship after worship, it is the traditional events of Easter and Christmas when we have our best attendance. I am not discussing lack of faith or observance of tradition, but in a minor way "traditions" supersede faithful worship on a Sunday in the middle of the summer during the dog days of the days after Pentecost. It is a very minor example, yet an interesting symptom of priorities.

What I am trying to say today is true for all of us. Thankfully, Jesus Christ still loves us in all our sinfulness, and in all our selfishness, and in all our … faithful goodness.  Jesus will never withdraw his love from us because of our attempts at trying to live faithfully.  And the purpose of my time with you this morning is not merely to make us feel guilty, to have everyone go home and have a feeling that they were scolded.  That is not my purpose.

But I do think that Jesus of Nazareth was profoundly right when Jesus suggested that we people of God for whatever reason let our traditions that arise out of faithful observance become replacements for love, mercy, and justice here in a world filled with brokenness. And although all of us are guilty of it, perhaps we can take today's guilt and see it in new light.

Much later, at the very end of the story of the Fiddler on the Roof, the revolution was starting and the whole village, including Tevye and Golda; we find out have chosen to flee.  This historic Jewish family and community was being fractured, never to see each other again.  And then we have the next to last scene, the most touching scene of the whole movie. As the extended family gathers to say good-bye, suddenly the youngest daughter and her communist husband walk forward, coming from nowhere, and are standing outside the family gate, to say the last goodbye to her parents; and perhaps, just perhaps, to have some reconciliation.  Perhaps, just perhaps, to be at peace with the parents this daughter so deeply loved.

Tevye and Golda were caught.  What should they do? Tevye and Golda had vowed that their daughter was dead, that they would never speak with her again, now they were caught between their faithful beliefs that had kept the community alive and love.

In despair, Tevye and Golda turned their back on their daughter. They turned away from her. No reconciliation and no peace. The story ends with faithful and good Tevye and Golda with their remaining two daughters and the belongings that they could carry walking away.

That is a place of grace for us today. Where have we as good people relied more on our faithful traditions to help us through difficult times but at the expense of love, reconciliation and peace? That is the grace that we need to hear, because if we can identify that in our lives, perhaps that is beginning, the seed for prioritizing justice, reconciliation, peace mercy and love into our faithful living. Perhaps that is the love we need to hear. Amen.