Hiding in Plan Sight

Hiding in Plain Sight. Sunday, December 13, 2009. Luke 3: 7-18

I have been eating crow this week. First, in the sermon on Sunday, December 6th, I stated that the band, U2, was from Scotland, intending to say Ireland. Second, the Pittsburg Steelers lost to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. My sister-in-law, an avid Browns fan, wrote me this poem,
"We celebrate the Cleveland Browns today,
For they took the Steeler's playoff chance away.
The Steelers seemd to have lost their nerve,
And the Browns, for a change, demonstrated their verve.
Last night the tide seemed to turn,
For the time had come for the Steelers to get burned.
The Browns' defense sure did their thing,
And Big Ben found out he was no longer the King.
Because none of his receivers could ever be found,
He spent most of his time lying on the cold ground.
Brady was good and Cribbs was great,
Two facts that are not even up for debate.
So the stairway to Seven has come to an end,
And the next year you'll have no title to defend.
I know that we say this every year,
But next year the Browns might be something to fear."

The term repent is not in common usage on the street. Eating crow is a phrase that is more recognizable. Let us say, John the Baptist is calling us to "eat crow." Admit our errors and ammend our ways that lead us to false hope.

Unlike the Gospel of Mark where John the Baptist challenges the religious leaders, the Gospel of Luke has John the Baptist challenge the entire crowd. He states, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Then, he challenges them, "Bear fruits worthy of repentance." (NRSV) Like poinsonous serpents fleeing from a brush fire, the people are running away from the wrath of God. This running away from the wrath of God is a self-righteous resistance to repentance.

While speaking to the crowds, John's call is also to their leaders. There are times when in parish ministry I make the claim, "Am I running a nursery school?" Then, I must ask myself, "What is it about my leadership that enables that to happen?" The crowds are like sheep without a shepherd. They are devoid of any ethical sincerity. Instead, they are relying on their false illusions of innocence and trusting in their lineage. Confronted, they ask, "What should we do?" John's responses are not difficult, nor are they sufficient for all situations. They do however, indicate that these choices to act come from a change of heart. Only hearts that are affected by the Word of God are open to do what God expects leads to ammendment of life. Ammendment of life comes from the proclamation of the Word of God.

Lutherans have a difficult time with the Gospel of Luke. First, Luke does not have a theology of the cross. Second, there is a call to good works in Luke. This challenges the traditional Lutheran theology of salvation through the cross of Christ, and that the grace of God, not works, saves us.

Salvation is still present in the Gospel of Luke. John is the old chapter in a long salvation history. Salvation history does not begin at this pivotal moment, but a new chapter of salvation opens up in the time from John to Jesus. This change is indicated in Luke. With John the Baptist, the crowd is asking, "What should we do?" They are at a loss for the next step. This same concern happens in Acts 2. People, cut to the heart by the Word of God, ask about the next step. Yet, when we get to Acts 4, we read "Now the whold group of those who believed were of hone heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common." (NRSV) Something changed, that the people now knew what to do.

Professor Greg Carey, in his book "Sinners: Jesus And His Earliest Followers" (Baylor University Press, 2009), reminds us that in Luke, Jesus does not confront sinners. He is accused of eating with tax collectors and sinners and of being a glutton and crunkard. Jesus does not rebuke people for their sins, but there is an ammendment in the lives of the sinner. It is the presence of that which is good, Jesus, and his spirit, that leads to the transformation of the human heart. As Professor Carey states, "His salvation [Referring to a young man named Brian in an illustraion] came not through the condemnation of his behavior...It came through blessing, the acceptance of his presence regardless of his history." The presence of the goodness of God in Jesus and his Spirit transforms human lives.

It is worthy pointing out public rebuke by Jesus is aimed at those who are self-righteous and reject the possibility of their sinfulness, thus rejecting the power of the goodness of God.

A heart transformed by the presence of the goodness of God shows genuine goodness to others. John's answers to the crowd do not give answers to all the questions of life, but they do challenge us to ask, in other situations in life,"How am I showing genuine goodness to others?" Out of this text from Luke, we can draw themes that help us address a current challenge in our country, that of health care.

Assistance. What then should we do? To the crowd, John tells those with two coats, to share one of those coats with a person who does not have that outer garment. This challenges an assumption humans make. I am tempted to believe that all my possessions are necessary for my survival. I then can conclude that someone else is responsibile to do the work to help and cough up the money needed to help people in need. Dr.'s Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman state in their book, "How God Changes Your Brain," (Ballantine Books, 2009) that human beings have a neurological and biological propensity to act in hostile ways. When we perceive that our survival is in jeoprady, we lash out. In the debate on health care, we make the debate about our own survival, engaging in hostile resistance to what is required of us, and conclude the responsibility belongs to another. Yet, goodness tells us that this nation has the wealth to address the health care dilemma.

Honesty. To the tax collectors, John teaches the need for honesty in their work. This is a challenge to the actions of tax collectors in Jesus' day. Tax collectors could not be trusted. In our time, we make the same claim about politicians. Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, in their book, "The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track," (Oxford University Press, 2006) write, "In recent years a number of factors--the two parties at parity and ideologically polarized, a populist attack on Congress that has weakened its institutional self-defenses, a more partisan press and interest group alignment, and an electoral environment making legislative activity subordinate to the interests of the permanent campaign--have conspired to encourage a decline in congressional deliberation and a de facto delegation of authority and influence to the president." The health care issue calls for significant debate that sees the issue beyond the need to provide insurance and find a way to pay for the insurance, but to address systemic failures that restrict accessibility of health care to many. Unfortunately, we draw our conclusion that the characters of politicians is not trustworthy, instead of naming many of their actions as untrustworthy. Then, we conclude, there is no hope amidst the political realm. Yet, goodness tells us that the human heart can be transformed, and a genuine concern for the welfare of others can be inspired.

Equity. John challenged the soldiers to be satisfied with their wages, and not to engage in acts of fear and threats of risk to supplement their incomes. Currently in our country, the issue of homelessness is addressed by not-for-profit corporations. Likewise, we see feeding programs, and even adoptions handled in the same way. Housing, feeding, parenting skills are within the capacity of most people. The field of medicine requires a trained and professional class. This limits accessibility. With limited accessibility comes the potential for profit. Highly trained professionals are paid more than a person with "common skills." Limited access to prescription medication increases demand and generates income for drug manufacturers. With an increase in professionalization comes an increase in the possibility for malpractice, thus litigators weigh in. Fear of not receiving needed health care and risks associated with that fear lead people to invest with health insurance companies. Equity challenges the professionals to be satisfied with a reasonable wage. This equitable satisfaction creates the possibilities for resources to reallocated.

The goodness of God brings about a transformation of the heart. Changed hearts bring about a genuine concern for the well-being of others. The solution to significant ethical issues in our culture may seem to be a hidden blessing. But, the Word of God and its transformative power tells us that what is required of us is hidden in plain sight.