07 Aug SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2022
So…the first part of the gospel text sounded pretty cool. In modern terms, it was as if Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. Dad’s willing to put his assets in your name now. Soon you’ll have more than you need.”
Such news might cause one to think about buying a new car, truck or tractor, to remodel or reply, “Sure, Jesus. If I’m to inherit treasure, there’s no need to hold onto what I have. I’m okay with sharing. Good to know that fortune’s headed my way.”
Jesus responds, “Well. It sounds like the idea of treasure has gone to your head. For goodness sake, don’t let it travel to your heart.” Jesus makes the listener stop and think about the pitfalls of treasure, not just the advantages. Treasure usually equals what we want to hold onto or hope for. And we usually won’t let go of it unless we have to or unless we anticipate getting more.
Why is it that every week it feels like Jesus preaches directly to me? Just when I feel as though I’m letting go and getting more generous, my willingness to even pay my way is seriously tested. More about that later.
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus just said, “The kingdom is ours. It’s God’s good pleasure to give it to us.” But then he throws in a set of expectations, as the Bible often does.
It delivers a message that equals a set of instructions. Be dressed. Have your lamps lit. Open the door soon as I knock. Stay alert, not only at certain hours, but at all hours.
I get how Jesus hopes to be welcomed. I make it a habit to call Steve moments before I get home. I ask him to make sure the outside light is on, the door’s unlocked, and that he’s ready to help carry things. Jesus just wants the same: for us to anticipate his return, to be willing and prepared to accommodate him.
But again, Jesus takes an unexpected turn and reverses roles. Once the door opens, the master becomes the servant. The master who has been up all hours himself making the journey back home, comes to where his servants also live.
This describes God’s return to earth in human flesh. He is the master in full human likeness who does not expect to be served. He only hopes you’re ready to accommodate him: to make space to receive him and to fit into his plan. Accept grace which delivers faith, which leads to confession, which leads to forgiveness and finally spiritual communion, including others who are also served.
There are expectations, but not to provide the meal. Just be ready to hear the knock, then open up. Respond and affirm that you have received and been served by God’s very self.
When Jesus says, “Be ready for me to come at an unexpected hour,” be ready for the unexpected at the altar this morning. Don’t expect the usual. Prepare a place for your father’s treasure, make space to receive him. Try to fit into his plan even though you may be unready or unwilling. Perhaps you can’t hear such words spoken directly to you, perhaps the sound of an inner voice, silence or people distract you.
Be ready for the unexpected and expect God to show up in the ordinary of everyday life. Last Sunday, we drove over two hundred miles to have dinner in Annapolis with daughter Bess and her friend Christopher. After a long day, but a nice meal (plus ice cream) I backed into a parked car opposite mine in the garage.
I scraped off some paint and caused a small dent. My right rear corner looked rumpled. Distracted and tired, I struggled to admit my mistake. My willingness to pay was seriously tested. I left detailed contact info and hoped for the best.
What I considered best was the owner not caring enough to fix the damage. I didn’t care about my own car being less than perfect. I could live with what I’d done. That’s often the way we see sin. We know it causes damage, but it often doesn’t amount to much.
We can’t deny that it happens, but since it doesn’t destroy how we function overall or bring everything to a halt, we learn to live with it. Only when damage registers and cost accrues, does it leave its mark. Only in a perfect world are scratches, dings and sin noticeable.
What I wanted at 8 o’clock Sunday night before facing the long drive home was for that moment to have never happened and the incident to be erased. But what the owner wanted was her brand new vehicle good as new without flaws. She wanted to preserve the car for its value, as she saw it: perfect and worth the cost of expensive monthly payments.
In much the same way as God sees creation,
the young woman had made a purchase,
had already invested herself, taken ownership and
wanted to preserve the value of what she once envisioned.
What was best was restoring another person’s faith. About a year ago, this same young woman had a different car damaged by a stranger. But they failed to leave a note. She incurred the cost of repair out of pocket at great expense.
This time, while revisiting her previous hardship, she had the opportunity to practice forgiveness. I learned that in the case of sin and cars colliding, someone has to pay, and it’s not okay to ignore the damage. I had to accommodate: that is, make space in my heart to deal with another person’s set of expectations and fit into their plan. I had to release more of the treasure I’d rather hold onto.
You might say I struggled to accommodate my dad, as well. It wasn’t always easy to fit into his plans or meet his expectations. After one particular visit, we had a falling out. As he listed the ways I offended him, he began by saying that when he knocked upon arriving at my home, I failed to be the one who stood there to greet him. It just so happened I was busy cooking, preparing the meal for his visit.
Recalling that incident made me wonder, will there really be a falling out with God should we fail to be ready to greet him at the door? Will there really be a falling out if our lamps are not lit, or if we fail to receive him properly at the altar? Accommodation really is the appropriate word. It means to make space for, to fit the wishes or needs of the other.
Even Martin Luther suggested a curse awaits those who receive communion improperly. Is it possible to disappoint God so that we’d be cut off? I don’t think so. Our relationship to God is not based on us doing our part or doing everything right. It’s based upon God supplying every aspect necessary.
Without grace, we’ve no faith to receive. Without grace, we’ve no ability to confess sin or profess belief. Without grace, we can’t receive forgiveness or go on as if a collision (or sin) never happened. Intentional sin and accident forgiveness are both included in God’s comprehensive plan.
God is the one who models accommodation. God has made space for us and allowed us to fit into his plan. Taking into account the incidence of sin, all the damage it creates, and its lasting effects.
God incurs the out of pocket expense without us paying a deductible or any premiums. It’s so hard to get away from the idea of transactional relationships where we exchange or perform well to receive what we need or deserve. Can we work together, own up to our mistakes, accept forgiveness, and move forward with confidence? Let us pray.
Dear Lord, teach us the lessons, forgive us our faults. Help us be ready to enter and maintain relationships where people can openly discuss expectations without destroying the hope of making things better. Thank you for righting wrongs, straightening things out and replacing brokenness in this world, a world you created as good, for good, an open space that includes us as partners in your eternal plan. In your holy name we pray, Amen