The Widow Wins: Luke 18:1-8

This blog post is in response to the Rev. Evan D. Garner's (a long way from home) blog post entitled, "I Don't Get the Unjust Judge", which deals with this coming Sunday's gospel.

The Rev. Dr. Jane Patterson told my Luke class one day that the words “parable” and “parabola” share a root word, which she interpreted to mean that for us to understand the deeper implications of Jesus’ story we have to move. Like the Rev. Evan D. Garner, I do not like the method that Jesus employs in this coming Sunday’s gospel. If I could I would like to just extract a message, something like keep the faith, keep praying, the Son of Man is coming, but to throw away the method Jesus uses is to the throw away a gift from God. While my sinful heart sometimes leads me astray, I believe willfully throwing away God’s gift is problematic at best and at worst leads to a life of sin, vice, and nothingness. So, what are we to do?

As I see it, we cannot just extract the message (keep the faith, keep praying, the Son of Man is coming!), as the characters (the unjust judge and the faithful widow) help to employ that message, and without them we lose a message altogether. We only get a glimpse of the importance of prayer by exploring who these two characters are within the culture of Jesus’ day. The unjust judge, one who would ignore the plight of a widow, certainly “neither feared God, nor had respect for people,” and in fact, ignored also the commandments of God, which were so important to the people of Israel and made them different from the Romans who would just throw beggars to the wolves. In brief, this judge is one unrighteous dude. 

In contrast, our other character, a benevolent widow, is the poster-woman of the Faith. She, along with orphaned children, are the persons that God's chosen people are bound to take care of no matter what. And yet...no one is taking care of her. She cannot even get a judge to rule in her favor. In a society where a judge is not able to rule in favor of an innocent widow who has nothing something is going wrong. Unfortunately, this inequality hits too close to home, as I think of all the unjust ways that the poor and outcast are misrepresented within our judicial system. The bright spot in all of this, is that the widow keeps at it. She stays true to her conviction. She fights the good fight, she fights the system and you know what?… SHE WINS! If that doesn’t get us fired up about our Faith, it’s hard to see something that will.

And, for the last few chapters in Luke, Jesus has been building this whole strange argument about Faith and what it really looks like to be faithful (Luke 15 was about God’s faithfulness, Luke 16 was about the shrewdness of faith and the lessons of Dives and Lazarus, Luke 17 was about being open to the miraculous power of Faith), and this is the culmination of his Faith argument. It's weird for sure, but maybe Jesus is not saying, “Wow, look at this unjust judge, boy our God is just like him,” as he has already shown us clearly what God’s faithfulness looks like (the Good Shepherd, the Seeking Widow, the Accepting Father). Instead, Jesus perhaps says, look at this woman who is so determined in getting what she wants that it consumes her every fiber. Jesus is saying, "This is what I’ve been trying to say about our Faith. It is persistent. So now you be persistent." Now, I am certain that I, Seth Olson, am not God, nor will any of us ever be God, so we cannot strive for becoming a judge, whether just or unjust. Instead, our focus is on what we do have, the power of prayer and the power of Faith. God is faithful to us always, now reciprocate that gift, don’t just throw it away.

Matthew 9:9-17: I desire mercy, not sacrifice.

Jesus receives many titles throughout Scripture: the Prince of Peace, the Lord and Savior, the Logos aka the Word of God, the Lamb of God, the Good Shepherd, the Christ, the Son of God, and the Son of Man just to name a few. I think each gives us a different way of understanding God Incarnate. In today's gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus himself hints at another title, the Great Physician, which stands out as a particularly fitting nickname for such a source of healing. Wrapped within the profundity of the cognomen itself is the way in which Jesus brings about healing to those who are sin-sick and to all of Creation.

This section of the gospel begins with the call of Matthew, who is a tax collector. Tax collectors in the First Century of the Common Era, just like they are today, were not seen as a likable characters. When thinking of Matthew here at the start negative associations with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are quite appropriate. Especially among Pharisees, folks in Matthew's line of work were villainous, for they would line their pockets with extra taxes that they added on to those imposed by Imperial Rome. Jesus' call to Matthew in light of this comes as somewhat of a shock. Maybe today's equivalent would be Jesus walking into our gridlocked U.S. Congress to call some corrupt politician to "follow me." Jesus call of Matthew is surprising to say the least. Yet, Jesus, as usual, goes a step further.

Jesus not only calls Matthew, a sinful tax collector, he goes so far as to share a meal with the IRS agent and all his friends. To dine with such lowly characters would have given the Pharisees hives. These "sinful" ones were seen not only as corrupt, but also unclean. As the Pharisees walk by they observe Jesus' welcoming action, and they cannot help but say to Jesus' disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus, leaning in the doorway just within earshot of the religious folks, hears their comment. Then, having to stop a very interesting conversation with liars, thieves, prostitutes, and tax collectors Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick [do]." What an obvious retort to the Pharisee's cynical question, yet it is more than just a comeback, Jesus provides with his statement an insight into the purpose of his mission. Jesus is here to heal!

I believe fully in the power of God's healing through Christ Jesus. And, I believe that it did not stop when the person of Jesus of Nazareth commissioned his disciples to go and do the work in the world, as he mysteriously left his earthly ministry. Sometimes though, I get caught up in the mechanism of this healing. Living in such a rational age, miraculous healing sometimes sets my scientific mind on edge. I start to wonder, if Jesus is truly the Great Physician, able to heal us, why have my loved ones suffered? If the Great Physician brings healing, why is there so much pain in the world? Why God?

"Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." The healing that Jesus brings into this world is salvation. There is a 100% chance that all of us are going to die. Our bodies will stop working, our hearts will stop pumping, and our minds will deteriorate. Jesus is not promising that we will not go through this, rather he is offering to all of us who are disconnected from one another and from God a chance for healing. We are given redemption through the Great Physician.

This past Sunday morning the TED-ology Christian Education class watched Bryan Stevenson's "We Need to Talk about Injustice." Stevenson, a profound and hopeful defense lawyer from Alabama, put it roughly this way, "We are more than the worst thing that we have done. I believe, if you lie, you are more than a liar. If you steal something, you are more than a thief. And, even if you kill someone you are more than a killer." I believe this is the healing that Jesus offers to us. We are more than our sins that keep us from one another. We are children of God. Made in the image of God. Redeemed by Christ Jesus. Healed by the Great Physician.

We are not to walk around with our sins written across our foreheads. We are not to hurt ourselves with painful sacrifices of shame and guilt, rather we are to see each other as healed by God Incarnate himself. Jesus wants us to be contrite, to show mercy to one another and to ourselves. This is how we are healed, not by calling one another sinners as the Pharisees do. Jesus is our Great Physician and the medicine he prescribes is the sweetness of mercy, not the bitterness of shame and guilt offerings.

Luke 17:5-10: Choosing the Miraculous

This Sunday's sermon can be heard by clicking here or by going to the following address:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_attachments/public/documents/3182162/VN810143.MP3

The notes for the sermon are found below:

Pep Talk

-I thought that I wanted to be a coach

-They had an ability to cut through whatever was going on and inspire me to do something more -Sometimes this was not always done in a pleasant manner

In Today's Gospel Jesus does the same, Jesus is giving a fiery inspirational speech -he is not talking with Pharisees, Scribes, or even disciples... these are the apostles

-We only hear about them a handful of times in Luke's gospel, and each instance is important

-Earlier in Luke Jesus has sent them out to perform miracles in his name

-EVERYWHERE

-We might hear Jesus' words this morning as harsh, but he is talking with his closest followers (Jesus expects more of them)

Here they are asking to have their faith increased

-One would believe that if you are able to go out preaching and healing you have plenty of Faith, but...

-I can relate to how the apostles feel.

-Even when something miraculous happens in my life sometimes I yearn for my faith to increase.

-So how does Coach Jesus respond to this deficiency in faith?

He doesn't respond that they have enough faith already

-Jesus hints that IF they faith mustard seed they could tell a mulberry tree to throw itself into the sea

-Lectio Class: if one planted a mulberry tree in the sea, would it survive?

-While it is an interesting question...

-Jesus is in this bit about the mustard seed and mulberry tree, saying that faith is choosing to be open to something beyond our understanding.

The master-slave parable that follows helps to understand how we might choose this.

First, this parable possesses the word slave in it.

-as persons living in the US we have a host of images that pop up with this word -this is not what Jesus is taking about here

-this is not a condoning the practice of slavery, Jesus is using a controversial to help make his point about what Faith is.

Let me try to modernize Jesus' parable.

-If you were to call the cable company to come install a new service at your house

-And the cable installer came out to your house

-And after doing the work on the outside of the house, but before you had channels on your television, this person sat down at your kitchen table and asked, "why haven't you brought me a steak dinner yet?" Wouldn't you say to that person, get back to work?

So it is with our Faith.

-Our Faith is a choice that we continuously make.

-We do not get a ribbon every time we secure our responsibility of Faith.

(This is especially hard for me who grew up getting a trophy every time I participated in a sport).

-The Good News is we do not faith alone. (Yes I just used Faith as a verb)

In today's epistle Paul sincere begins his second letter to Timothy with a tender greeting

-Paul says that Timothy's faith was first kindled in his grandmother Lois, then in his mother Eunice and continues in him

-The fire of our Faith began in others too, and we have that Faith passed on to us!

Faith of family

-Camp Winnataska

-Babaw, Nangy, Mom, Elin and me, Emmeline -This shows me within my own life that Faith is contagious, it is a learned behavior, it is passed on from generation to generation.

-And yet...

We can ask Jesus to increase our Faith, I believe that to be an honest prayer.

-Yet Paul and Jesus are giving us pep talks

-They are encouraging us to choose to open up to God. We do this together!

-Look around to the persons next to you... they are your faith.

-Look around at your life... that is where faith happens.

-I believe we are called to choose God, to make the choice over and over again to follow Jesus. And while we might want rewards for doing what God calls us to do, that is not what it is about. Faith is about the size of a mustard seed, but it blooms into all sorts of miracles.

Cocophonous noise or sweet jazz music: Luke 16:1-13

Scripture from today's sermon: http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Pentecost/CProp20_RCL.html

Some say that Austin, Texas is the live music capital of the world. After spending three years there, I am inclined to believe this. It doesn’t matter where you go, what day of the week or what time of day it is there will be musicians performing throughout town. Experiencing so much live music, I learned a few things. For example, catching the warm up act at a rock show is a good thing as they might end up making it big. Also, if you are a student, you can get into the symphony for the money beneath your couch cushions. But not all the live music lessons I learned are good ones.

One time I walked into a jazz concert a little too early. I can remember listening to the different ensemble members tuning their instruments and thinking to myself, how in the heck is this going to come together? The guy on the saxophone was just blaring all by himself, and while other musicians appeared to be warming up all I could hear was the blasts of the sax. I feel like that this morning. We have four different lessons from Holy Scripture, but the one that sounds loud and off pitch is the Gospel reading. Yet, like the jazz musicians coming together, once we put these Holy Scripture in concert with one another they start to make a more harmonious sound. This morning’s scriptures possess a melody within them, but this theme is easy to miss over the gospel’s loud blasts. Let’s listen to the sweet music of all these lessons coming together.
First, in Amos: “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land… and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat. The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.” The prophet Amos (one of the most ancient prophets in Scripture) spoke to Israel at a time of unprecedented wealth. Many of God’s Chosen People have turned from God to focus upon material comfort. Amos clearly points them, and us, towards the reality that the LORD is looking out for the poor, and we who take advantage of the poor will be remembered (not in a good way). The bass line of our scriptural melody is established: The Lord remembers those who harm the poor.
From today’s psalm, we continue the song, “He takes up the weak out of the dust and lifts up the poor from the ashes. He sets them with the princes, with the princes of his people. He makes the woman of a childless house to be a joyful mother of children.” Our theme sounds a bit clearer now, as we hear more parts of the ensemble. From this ancient song we hear God pulls up the poor, and sets them among the prosperous. God makes the childless house into a home full of laughter. So God not only remembers those who harm the poor, God lifts up those who are poor.
Today’s reading from First Timothy throws a variation into our melody, Paul writes, to his friend Timothy, that through prayer we all “may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” Our song is getting richer now, God not only lifts up the poor, but through the power of prayer we all are transcend into a life of godliness and dignity. We through the mediation of Christ Jesus enter into a peaceable life in God. This is a beautiful song.

So what about the Gospel? Is it just a loud saxophone-like blast, or is it like John Coltrane methodically working what at first seem to be chaotic outbursts into musical genius? In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks not to the crowds or to the Pharisees, but to his Disciples, those closest to him, telling them something between a parable and a moral lesson. The world within Jesus’ story is messy, just like the world in which we live. This land manager has made a few mistakes in his job and his rich boss is on the verge of firing him. Who hasn’t been in a similar situation at work? Somehow though, the unwise manager pulls a complete 180, transforming himself into a shrewd steward who is the paragon of faithfulness, but what is really going on here?
The rich man from the story has potentially achieved such wealth from dishonest means. Maybe he hiked up the interest rate on the amount of olive oil the farmer owed. Unlike our earlier readings, the poor are being trampled upon by the rich man. In the manager’s desperation, he sees an opportunity to make friends with this farmer, so that he will be welcomed when he has no job. Even though he has no business relinquishing the farmer’s debt, the steward cuts what the olive oil farmer’s owes in half. He most likely did this not by ripping off the rich man, but by foregoing his commission on what the farmer was to pay. In one fell-swoop the steward creatively gets in the good graces of not only the farmer, but also the rich man. He shows that he is faithful to his position, even to the point of giving up his own cut. He is no longer an unwise land manager, but now shows that he is a creative, resourceful, forgiving, and faithful steward.
Now we have a completely new layer to our melody from today: God will raise up the poor through Christ’s meditation, but we are now the Body of Christ, and we are called to be like the shrewd steward: to be creative, to be resourceful, to be forgiving, to be faithful servants of the poor. This is the music God is calling us to make with Him.



In our neighborhood, in our city, in the world there is so much messiness, just like the strange world of this parable. Yet, we are called to be creative with how we take care of the poor, for as Amos reminds us, God remembers when we do not take care of the least among us. God beckons us to be resourceful in lifting up the weak whose faces are in the dust. Like Paul reminds us, we are to pray through Christ, our mediator, to help the poor, but we are to be faithful in taking care of the naked, the homeless, the lonely, and the destitute. We might have no business forgiving other’s debts, like the steward from today’s Gospel, but I believe God calls us to participate in what Jesus did on the cross, “Lord forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We have the call to live faithfully following God, yet we are called not just to pray for the poor, but to be creative and resourceful in taking care of all those who are suffering around us. This is the song of the Scriptures: be creative, be resourceful, be forgiving, be faithful: serving the poor and loving God.

What call would immediately change your life? Matthew 4:18-25

Simon and Andrew, James and John have been doing the same work their entire lives. Rising early in the morning, they spend long hours in the scorching heat without cover out on the waters of the Sea of Galilee. Their hands are severely callused, their arms and shoulders routinely sore, and their backs extremely tight from hauling in fish, that is when they have been fortunate enough to catch them. Zebedee, James’ and John’s father sits in the boat, a constant fatherly presence and a reminder of the one who taught them not only how to fish, but how to live. From the time they were boys Zebedee brought them out upon the water not just as sons, but also as apprentices. These brothers live off of what they catch, and not just them, but their entire families. Before they caught their livelihood in the Sea of Galilee their fathers and uncles did, and their fathers and uncles before them. This is the family business. This is their life. They are fishermen.

Every day possesses the same routine: rise early, cast out over and over again, hopefully haul in fish, then return home sore and tired. Then, one day a stranger walks onto the shore where the brothers cast off to make their catch. He simply utters an invitation, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." The men, without hesitation, lay down the family business, their livelihoods, their life’s work at the request of passerby. “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” 

Wait, what?! Are you serious Matthew?! That’s it?! No further explanation. No more detail, then that they laid down their nets and followed him. We hear this quaint story about fishing for people so many times that it becomes easy to overlook. Simon, Andrew, and the two Zebedee boys leave the work that provides them with food, shelter, and an opportunity to continue living, so that they can follow an itinerant preacher and healer. Fishing may be a smelly, sweaty, back-aching job, but it’s a way to make a living, it is a way of providing for one’s family, it is a way to survive.  

What was Zebedee thinking of his two sons James and John as they put down their nets? He might have thought, “I raised you to be fishermen. Now you want to go and follow this homeless stranger! You are going to throw away your life.” Later in Matthew, Jesus will say, “If you want to save your life you will destroy it.” We all know this saying, but still how many of us could even fathom giving up the power and control we have to make money, to make a living, to provide for our families? This is radical what these brothers are doing on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. They are leaving everything they have so that they can follow Jesus. Is there anything in this world that would make you leave your means for security and survival? Or put another way, what call would immediately change your life? 

I can tell you the precise geographic location (All Saints’ Chapel Sewanee, Tennessee) and specific date in history (Saturday, March 22, 2008) when I clearly heard Jesus’ call “Come, Follow me.” The two years before this day had been a struggle. I had fought with God trying to believe that he did not exist, but every time I turned my back on God, he was there. Finally I relented, and so on this night, the night of the Easter Vigil, I had reaffirmed my baptismal vows. I was serving as a chalice bearer, and the first person who extended his hands to receive the chalice was my childhood priest. As our eyes met, we shared a moment of communion. Then, I lifted back the silver chalice to reveal that the reflection in the cup made it appear as though all those gathered around the altar were making up the chalice. We, gathered together, are the Chalice, the Blood and Body of Christ. I knew then, that my call was to serve within that Body and to continue to hold up those sacraments as signs of God’s grace in this world. Before that moment I knew God existed, I knew I loved God, but I was not following him like Simon, Andrew, James, and John. God is calling each of us to immediately drop our nets and follow him. Maybe it’s not so dramatic as what I just described or what the Galilean brothers did, yet we are all ordained through our baptism and we are all called to be ministers in God’s Church.

This week we have spent a good bit of time at St. John’s exploring our congregational call to ministry through the envisioning process. We are learning one sheet of paper at a time, who we are as a community, for what we are thankful, what we yearn for as a church, and what ministries we are craving. As we continue to listen, I encourage us to listen to Jesus’ simple invitation, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Amen.

Moving for the Treat: Luke 14:25-33

This is from September 1, 2013:
At first glance it seems pretty easy what to take away from today’s gospel: All who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humble themselves will be exalted. We can even take it a step further and nod in agreement with Jesus’ advice to the Pharisees about giving up their place at the table and inviting in the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Clearly Luke describes for us Jesus passing out this new form of table etiquette; a Christian Cotillion class, if you will, that seems so obvious that we can just hear it without it affecting our lives. We can, and I often do, rush through life without the Word of God even registering as anything more than a cliché: all who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humble themselves will be exalted. Yet, Jesus does not simply say something as a throwaway line, this is not dinner party advice, rather it is a parable!

Parables, those seemingly nice, sweet fables overflowing in Luke’s Gospel, are more like a Trojan Horse than a bedtime story. These stories typically possess some sort of hidden kernel of wisdom that tends to hit us when we least expect it. However; before we get to the deceptive story of this wedding banquet, it is worth setting the stage for Jesus’ delivery of this parable.

The gospel starts, “On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely.” Like last week when we heard of Jesus healing a long suffering, crippled woman, our reading takes place on the Sabbath, a day that served as a litmus test for how faithful Pharisees to the Law. Unlike last week’s story, which took place in the Synagogue, today’s gospel occurs within the home of a Pharisee. Today this might be like having dinner at the home of a wealthy CEO or even a celebrity. The Pharisees are watching Jesus closely to see if he will mess up something on the Sabbath. Is he going to follow all the rules? Spoiler alert: NO!

While the lectionary cuts this part of the gospel out (Luke 14:2-6), Jesus again finds himself curing on the Sabbath and explaining that healing should not be hindered by what day of the week it is. If someone is suffering, they deserve God’s wellness NOW, not tomorrow! This Sabbath healing sets the Pharisees on edge and of course, does not conform to the rules of the day. Jesus has broken the Sabbath Law in the Pharisee’s home no less! So what does Jesus do to follow up this “heretical practice”? He tells a parable, of course.

I have always loved parables because no matter how many times I listen to them, I always hear something new. One way of deepening our experience with parables is actually by thinking of the shape of a parabola, both words come from the same root. The arc of a parabola goes up and comes down and where it starts it does not end. A parable is actually like a parabolic arc and one example is a doggie treat flying through the air and into the mouth of a waiting puppy. When the dog biscuit leaves my hand the canine has to move to make the catch. If we are to understand what Jesus is tossing to us in a parable we have to shift to grab the treat.

          In the home of the Pharisee, after Jesus has riled up this wealthy religious leader by healing on the Sabbath, He passes out advice, but it is not just about earthly matters. Jesus begins the parable with some insight into how to approach a wedding banquet, but also how to enter the Kingdom of God. We all get the invitation from the host, but the question is “How will we respond to it?” Will we seek out the best seat in the house?

During Jesus’ day, much like in our own day, where you sit at a wedding, in a meeting, and even in a synagogue or church is a big deal. But place is not just the physical seat at the Table, but rather one’s larger position within society. Jesus is saying more than just do not make a faux pas at the next wedding banquet you attend. Sure the arc of the story is leading us to think of the practical side, but what about the Kingdom of God? I believe Christ Jesus is urging us not to go about our daily lives thinking primarily of our place in this world OR THE NEXT! Rather, we are to seek out those lowly seats at the Table, in this world, in the Kingdom of God. It is not about groveling or false humility, but rather knowing that regardless of our place at the Table the way we take our seats requires our reverence of our Holy Host. We sit at this Divine Table having been invited by God who sits in the seat of honor.

         The second part of this dinner party parable is directed at leader of the Pharisees, the host of this earthly party. Jesus says to him do not invite your friends, but instead the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, for they cannot repay your kindness. If seen as advice, this seems so counterintuitive and paradoxical. How will this Pharisee impress his colleagues and prove his place in the world if he doesn’t show off his lavish home to his peers? But Luke’s gospel is so full of paradoxes: when you exalt yourself, you will be humbled; the first will be last and the last will be first; to gain your life, you must lose it. And here in this parable of hosting a party, another paradox: the rich make you poor and the poor make you rich.

          Often in this world I believe we get caught up in trying to impress one another. I have even told Auburn football fans that I like their team, so that they would like me. What Jesus is telling us is that the Kingdom of God is not about doing political favors, impressing others, or pretending we like something, so that we can move up in the world. It’s not even about trying to grab the best seat in the house, but rather it is about taking our true place, right here at God’s Table where everyone’s seat is the best seat in the house.

          Are we catching the treat yet? How is this parable asking us to move, so that we might get a better insight into the Kingdom of God? I think the true treat being tossed up is not good dinner party etiquette, but rather this parable is giving us a glimpse Kingdom living, what it means to help reveal it here on earth. We all have an invitation waiting from God our host, we all have a place at God’s Table, but instead of fighting over where we are sitting our call is to invite others into the Feast. How will you share your place at God’s Table?   

Bishop Paul Jones: John 8:31-32

Today, I want to talk about one of those saints in the church's history that we might overlook most of the time. This is the day when we celebrate Bishop Paul Jones. He was a priest first, then he was a missionary priest out in Logan, Utah when it was just a territory. The people in the wilderness of Utah liked him enough that he became their bishop. Now before I go on with Bishop Jones, I want to tell you a parable from my own life. 

Once there was a scrawny boy. For the most part he made friends with enough other kids that, so he did not get picked on by bullies. His mother, an ever wise figure in his life, continually gave him good advice that he did not always heed. One nugget that went in one ear and out the other was the following: "No matter what happens, no matter how angry you get, you always have a choice. You do not have to let anger overwhelm you. You can always choose peace."  

Well one time the boy found himself in a bit of a pickle. He had gotten the wrong person out in a game during P.E. and the bully was waiting on me in the locker room. The scrawny boy hurried over to his locker to change quickly and luckily the bully had to get dressed too, but before the period was over the bully was about to pummel the scrawny boy. In this moment of fear the boy did something that would have embarrassed his mother. As this bully swung at the boy, the scrawny one kicked the bully… hard and in a place that no boy wants to be hit. Right then, the bell rang and the boy ran out leaving the bully in a heap on the floor.

While at first I reveled in the elation of avoiding a butt kicking, I soon found myself deflated knowing that I had inflicted pain upon another human being. 

Sometime after I had kicked the bully, I went up to talk with him. I knew that I could have been beaten up in retaliation for what I did, but I also did not want to live in fear of a response to my actions. So, I approached the boy and we talked and somehow came to a truce. For neither of us wanted violence to keep us from playing together or enjoying P.E.

Today we celebrate the life of Bishop Paul Jones, a missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church, who served out in the territory of Utah in the early 1900s. At the time of World War I he spoke out in the name of peace, saying that fighting such a gruesome war was unchristian. His opinion was not well received. In fact, it got him ousted as the Bishop of Utah, as his fellow bishops did not like that he objected to war on the grounds of faith and conscious. Bishop Jones staked his life and risked his career as he believed that God is not a God who calls us to inflict pain and hurt upon one another, but rather that we are called to strive for peace among one another.

My encounter with a bully in middle school showed me that fear and violence enacted upon another only leads to more fear and violence. Bishop Jones saw that peace not violence was the way of the Church. Jesus died a violent death because those in power were afraid of his message. His message is what we heard today. “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

We are called into this freedom, this freedom of knowing the truth. The truth is that violence does not perpetuate anything but violence. War leads to more war. As we sit as a nation wondering whether we should move again Syria with military action, I urge us to follow the path of Bishop Jones. God help us to choose peace and our conscious over war and violence.