"Bad Girls of the Bible:" Observations and Revelations

Last night, I had the privilege of speaking with a great group of women at the church where I do my "day job" these days, Tempe First United Methodist. I've known I was going to do this almost since I started in my position, and I knew from the start what I wanted to do. I had spoken to the United Methodist Women (UMW) at Gold Canyon UMC 12 years ago, and I wanted to readdress the same subject - a book by Liz Curtis Higgs called Bad Girls of the Bible.

I must admit though, that my presentation last night didn't go as well as I would have liked. I feel that I may have disappointed the wonderful women I met with. I rambled...

Of course, I generally prepare a manuscript so that I can have my thoughts in order. For this presentation, I revised my original talk. As I went over the stories once again, I found I had much more to say about them. Too much, truth be told. You'll see. Here's what I wrote:

INTRODUCTION

Thanks for letting me talk to you this evening!

About 12 years ago, I was invited to review a book for the UMW at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church. At the time, it came as rather a surprise to be invited. I was the new secretary, just out of my undergraduate work at Arizona State University. I’d majored Religious Studies and minored in Anthropology. What had I read recently that I could discuss with a bunch or church women? I thought perhaps I should choose something with deep social impact; something that would highlight a concern of mine, like the status of women in the third world, or even in our own society today.

Or, perhaps I should discuss the life of a woman who has impacted the church in the past. I thought of a wonderful book I read in college about the struggle of Native Americans just after WWII. So many ideas swirled about in my head that I finally just gave up and went to the UMW library, where I saw many titles that fell right into the categories I’d considered, but none piqued my interest that day. Then I saw this book

This might be fun, I thought – and so it was! I’m not going to talk deep theology here; it’s just a book review of sorts. It’s my way of letting you in on a little bit about me, too.

This book is about biblical women that we’ve all heard of. Some are very famous, like the woman at the well – and some are not so famous – like Michal, daughter of Saul, wife of David. More than that, this book is about us – women everywhere.

Liz Curtis Higgs writes in her introduction, “we’ve all been bad girls…and…we all long to be good girls.” According to Higgs, what constitutes “bad” is a heart hardened to God.

She says that when hearts open up and we begin to listen to God’s message for us, we begin to become “good girls.”

She illustrates this point in the way she introduces our women. She begins each chapter with a fictitious modern day woman whose story resembles that of a particular biblical woman. 

Her stories are interesting; they draw you in as you begin to remember which biblical woman she is introducing.

It was as I read the fictitious stories I found that there were some characters that I identified with more than I did others. As I segued into the biblical stories, the ancient women, our spiritual ancestors, in fact, began to take a new shape. I experienced a few epiphanies – those little ah-ha moments – when I saw a new meaning in stories that I had once thought I understood – even some that I had overlooked in the past.

I found myself identifying with the ancient women on a personal level. Suddenly, the story had a new impact it on me. 

I would love to share the entire book with you, yet I wouldn’t want to take from you the pleasure of discovering these stories for yourselves, if you haven’t already. So, I decided to choose a few chapters – not necessarily in order – the ones I most strongly found myself in. If you have already read this book, I hope you find something new; perhaps a new way of looking at yourself and your faith.

As I do this, I will share three stories: Liz’s fictitious story, the Bible story, and finally, my own story.

RUTHIE

I found a story that resonated with me as soon as I started the book. In the introduction, Liz tells the story of Ruthie, an abused girlfriend whose life is controlled by the one-time “man of her dreams.” A bad dream, indeed. He took everything that was hers and made it his. If Ruthie balked, she met his fist.

Reading about Ruthie brought me back to my first marriage. Eight years of abuse and fear. It didn’t start out that way, of course. I met my husband – that is, my first husband – when I was in the Air Force. We were both stationed on Guam. We were both cooks assigned to the main dining hall at Andersen Air Force Base. He seemed so attentive, and I fell in love with him. Not that I really knew what love was. I wasn’t even 20 years old, and I was naïve. Like Ruthie, I was a good girl, who had never seen known that people hurt the one they professed to love. I was in love with love. We had moved around a lot when I was young (14 elementary schools, 7 high schools, 10 states). I was always the new girl. The new girl, especially a shy and quiet one like me, finds one good friend in every bunch, usually another retiring type. The other, outgoing kids, are an intimidating enigma. At least, they were to me. So, when it came to boyfriends, I was inexperienced. With no frame of reference, I was caught by surprise.

Liz Higgs reveals that Ruthie’s story is her story. To move into her own personal strength, she looked to the women of the Bible for inspiration. We can too, if we can identify with their stories. The author has created fictional characters who reflect the qualities of the biblical characters and help us bridge the gap of time and see ourselves in light of our ancient predecessors.

SOFIA

The first story I want to share is about Sofia. Now, Sofia was a rich woman. She hadn’t started out that way. She was what they call “Nouveau Riche.” She really wanted to climb the social ladder. You’ve seen or heard stories like this before. One of my favorite movies, “The Unsinkable Mollie Brown” with Debbie Reynolds shows this real life character, Margaret Tobin Brown, whose husband struck gold, as someone like Sofia – newly rich and dying to be accepted by the social elite. A few embarrassing hi-jinx ensue before Mollie becomes the great heroine of the sinking Titanic. Not so much hi-jinx for Sofia.

Sofia and her husband are invited to a high society charity dinner. In order to take this chance at being accepted by the “old money” they need to donate a minimum amount of money. Something terrible happens, though. Sofia’s husband loses all their newly acquired money in the stock market, but they don’t want to give up the status they have gotten so very close to attaining. So, they decide to sell a piece of property in Florida to raise the cash they need. They tell everyone that they are going to donate every bit of the income from the property to the charity.

But guess what? They make more money on the property than expected! So what do they do? I think some of you probably know where we’re going here. They decide to hold back some of the money for their own personal security. At the dinner, the husband joins the men, where he hands over the check for exactly one million dollars. But the sale is public information, and when he is confronted with the fact that he didn’t give it all, he suffers a heart attack and dies.

In the book of Acts, Sapphira and Ananias want to join Peter’s group of Way-Followers. Like our fictional couple, they have a piece of property to sell so they can give the proceeds to Peter as an offering. When they make the sale, they can’t bring themselves to give the entire amount away, so they hold back a good portion for themselves. Ananias goes by himself to give Peter the amount he and Sapphira had agreed to share. But…Peter knows what they have done. When he confronts Ananias, the poor man falls to the floor, dead.

Sapphira shows up later, and Peter gives her the opportunity to tell the truth. Not knowing that her husband has died, she tells Peter the same story Ananias had told. She, too, dies.

Now, I found myself identifying with this story when I thought about the way I make my offerings to the church or to charitable organizations that I want to help fund. I feel a sense of fear that if I give too much, I won’t have enough to make it through to the next payday. This fear was stronger during the many years that I was a single mother with three children to raise and one income. Yet, I am still working the ability to give a percentage of my pay on a regular basis without fear.

I understand that this comes from what they call a “poverty mindset.” It also comes from experience. I have filled out pledge cards for church, called in and pledged for public television and radio, adopted children across the world, and once promised to give a regular donation to Christian radio. Each time, I’ve had to stop giving after a few months or a few years when my income decreased or my expenses increased. Each time, I’ve made the decision to stop payments, it out of fear of not having enough

I know in my heart the God will take care of everything. As long as I am doing my part, there is always enough. Yet, I still sometimes forget to put my trust in God when it comes to money. I am afraid. Of course, I am not going to drop dead, literally, because I didn’t give what I promised. Once I made the decision to stop giving as much, I was wracked with a sense of guilt – I had not followed through on my promise. This guilt can become a wedge between myself and God.

Have any of you read The Screwtape Letters? For those who have not, this wonderful book is written in the form of a collection of letters from a senior devil to his protégé, who is working on turning a human away from God. In this book, C.S. Lewis writes, “There is, of course, always the chance, not of chloroforming the shame, but of aggravating it and producing Despair. This would be a great triumph.” Guilt, becoming despair, is a sign that we have not accepted the forgiveness that God has offered me through Christ. It is a kind of spiritual death, losing the faith I had in God.

So, I’ve stopped pledging a certain amount of money or a percentage of my income, for now. If by doing so I am setting myself up to separate myself from the goodness of God through guilt, it’s better that I live by giving what I can when I can as long as I can, whenever I can.

JASMINE

The second set of stories I’d like to share starts with Liz’s character, Jasmine. I like the name Jasmine – I almost named my oldest daughter Jasmine, but instead named her after my favorite character in Children’s Fiction, Betsy Ray, from the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. But I digress. Higgs’ Jasmine is a vodoun (voodoo) queen in early New Orleans, sort of like Marie LaVeau, but not as interesting. Jasmine has married a weak man. He is envious of a neighbor’s land, and wants to purchase it. The neighbor won’t sell, because the property had been in his family for generations. Jasmine’s husband Abe is a whiner. He whines and whines about this land until Jasmine decides to get it for him just to shut him up.

Well, her way of getting it includes calling upon the Loa – Vodoun spirits – as well as some illegal activity, such as forgery. Jasmine has connections with many who work in powerful places, and because of her work with them as a Vodoun priestess, she has power over them as well. Through her activities, she acquires the property for her husband.

Abe sits in his room overlooking the new land, feeling both pleased and belittled, because Jasmine also holds her power over him. As he sits there one day, an old friend of his comes into his room and accuses him of murdering the man who had previously owned the property. Abe is incredulous as he hears that the previous owner had committed suicide. The other begs to Abe to worship God again, as he did before his wife battered him into converting to Vodoun and believing in many spirits. The other man tells him that Jasmine will meet a horrible death, and he will not be spared. Abe realizes that he had turned his back on God in return for Jasmine’s power and money.

Of course, you’ve likely figured out that this story segues into the story of Jezebel, who is considered the worst Bad Girl of the Bible. Her story is in 1 Kings, where she is married to Ahab, King of Israel. Their marriage is a political and economic alliance. Jezebel is a devoted worshiper of Baal, and is determined to wipe Israel clean of all of the Hebrew prophets and priests. She gives orders to have them all killed, and brings in 400 priests and priestesses of Baal and Ashera, Baal’s consort. Ashera is a fertility goddess, whose worship includes temple prostitutes, while Baal’s worshipers practice child sacrifice.

Ahab,does nothing to stop Jezebel from following her agenda. He is a self serving individual with desire for little except property acquisition. Like Abe in our story, Ahab has his heart set on a specific piece of land that the owner will not sell because it is his inheritance. In fact, by Mosaic law, it is illegal for him to sell his inheritance. Ahab doesn’t care. He pouts and whines until Jezebel makes it her duty to acquire the land for him. She forges his signature on letters, and sets up the landowner, Naboth, as traitor to God and King. He is put to death, and the land becomes Ahab’s.

Now, the Hebrew prophet Elijah comes along and accuses them. Ahab repents once, temporarily. Then, as he is dying from an arrow wound, he repents again. Jezebel remains a proud, conniving kind of Queen, and in the end is thrown from her palace walls and torn apart by dogs, as predicted by Elijah.

I bet you’re wondering what kind of secretary they’ve chosen for this church if I can find something in this story to identify with! There are some other ways to interpret Jezebel’s actions that make them more understandable, but that’s for another discussion. I didn’t choose this story because I did anything in my life as horrible as the things Jezebel did. I can’t identify with her thirst for power at all costs, nor her complete and utter disregard for her husband’s God. I chose this story because there are small elements of her nature inside me.

You see, I can sometimes be a bit of a “control freak.” I have trouble letting go of my ideas, my feelings…my desires. I have to work hard – very hard – to delegate work. I want things to be done my way, and often I find myself feeling frustration when things aren’t done my way. A good example of this is the time I decided it was time to hand over the church newsletter to someone else. I loved doing that newsletter. My creative side rejoiced in writing articles, aligning photographs to appeal to my own aesthetic. It really hurt me to have someone else doing the job, even though I really didn’t have the time. A lot of times, though, I even find myself praying for things to happen my way – rather than asking for guidance or the ability to accept things as they are.

I’ll go through a list – “Please God, I want this, this, this, and this.” The Jezebel in me can feel quite powerful in certain situations. I have to work daily to repent of my desire for personal power, my prideful and controlling behaviors. When things do go my way, it’s easy for me to feel prideful, even gloating (in my head) “See I told you!”

There is certainly a place for empowerment for us as Christians, but it is extremely important that we remember where the power comes from!

LIZ

The last story of Liz’s that I want to share is about Crystal. She works at a bar called “The Oasis.” She has a bunch of ex-husbands and a lot of experiences behind her. One day, a man comes into The Oasis and asks her for some water “on the rocks.” She gives him a glass and charges him two dollars. After he drinks it down, she asks him if he likes it. He says, “I’ve had better.” Crystal wants to know what kind of water he’s had that’s better than hers.

“Life,” he tells her. She gets busy, having some trouble with an ex-husband. The man – the one she gave the water to – starts serving the customers. They are all ordering alcohol, but he’s serving water. Crystal notices, and tells him, “That’s not what they asked for!”

The Man says, “No, but that’s what they need.” He starts telling her about herself, and hands her a glass of water. She asks for more.

Of course, this story is one we’re all familiar with from the New Testament. It’s told in John: Jesus and the disciples come upon a well at the time of day when there would likely be no women there. The disciples go on into town to grab some groceries, and Jesus takes a seat by the well to rest. While he’s resting a woman comes alone to get water from the well. While she’s drawing the water, Jesus asks her for a drink. She’s incredulous that he would talk to her, not only a woman, but a woman of Samaria.

After drinking the water she draws for him Jesus begins to tell the woman about the water of Life. This opens the door for her; she begins to ask him some theological questions. After all, the Samaritans actually worship the same God as the Jews. In fact, they claim the same forefathers. The well they are at is Jacob’s Well, after the same Jacob that the Jews call ancestor. I find it quite interesting that in this conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well, we come to understand that worshiping God is not something tied to place, but that it is a spiritual activity. 

Jesus begins to tell the woman about herself, that she has had a number of husbands and that the man she lives with now is not her husband.  Of course, she asks him who he is, and if he is a prophet. He tells her that he is the one that has been expected! He hasn’t told anyone else this much – it is a woman who first learns Jesus’ identity. She drops her jar and runs back to town, where she gathers up others to come learn from him. Of course, the apostles are incredulous that Jesus would talk to a woman like her, especially a Samaritan woman.

I love this story because it illustrates many wonderful things about Jesus and his relationship to women and to others. Not only does he reveal himself to this woman, but he discusses deep theological subjects with her. Then, he talks with her about very personal issues, making her life as important as any man’s.

In fact, she brings both men and woman back to with her to hear him speak. I think an important issue in this story is that of understanding between people of different spiritual backgrounds. This is an issue that is very relevant for today. The Samaritans shared the ancestry of Jacob; they could be called a “People of the Book,” as are Christians, Jews, and Muslims today. All three groups can claim spiritual ancestry to Abraham. Yet, because they worship in different ways; because they do not agree about Jesus as Messiah, there is a lack of understanding and communication between the mainstream factions of the three.

Now, I’m not talking about fundamentalism and extremism, but the “regular people.” Jesus himself, in this story, illustrates that there is much to be learned and understood through discourse between those of different cultures. Avoiding one another only enhances misunderstanding and fear.

The Nature of Jesus is debated even among those who call themselves Christian today. In his time, even his own apostles were unsure who and what he was. I see myself, in some ways, as this woman at the well. I knew God all along, as did she – but I didn’t know how well God knew me; that God could tell me everything about myself.

Unlike the woman at the well, I already knew about Jesus. I knew about him, but I didn’t necessarily know him, because by making some of the choices I made in life, I essentially walked away. Like the woman at the well, I have been married more than once and I have lived with someone without being married. I’ve even practiced other religions and explored different spiritualities.

And like the woman, I have come back to the well, where I have come to truly know Jesus. Throughout the years since I returned to the church, I have come to know that God is with us always. In Jesus, Immanuel, “God With Us,” he walks with me.

SUMMARY

Even in revisiting this book, I had an interesting experience. I’ve touched on the same stories I did the first time around; I think because these same stories continue to be easy for me to identify with. Before I read this book, I used. to identify strongly with the New Testament woman Mary, sister of Martha. You may recall that Mary sought knowledge at the feet of Jesus listening to his lessons with rapt attention. As I grew older and became a working single mom struggling to keep a home, I began to identify a little more with Martha, who begged Jesus to tell Mary to get up and help her.

It was one of my very favorite stories, for it is a clear statement about the status of women in Jesus circle.  However, neither Mary nor Martha are “bad” girls – no, they are both open to God’s word; fortunate women who stood in the Presence of the living Christ and never questioned.

I once thought that I never questioned God, either. However, after reading Liz’s book, I see that some of my own choices were questions in themselves – they created a wall between my own heart and the simple message of Love that God wanted me – wants all of us – to hear.

No, I was never intentionally bad – like Potiphar’s wife; nor was I ever purposefully hateful toward God and God’s people – like Jezebel. I was, however, guilty of self-centeredness and self-indulgence. I still can be these things. This book is sort of a wake-up call to me – a reminder that each day, I need to consider my actions and reactions carefully. Each day, I need to review my activities, my decisions, my interactions with others and see – have I been one of these bad women for a moment? Even for a small moment in time? If so, I must ask for forgiveness and for the strength and ability to do better tomorrow.

You know, when I first picked up this book 12 years ago, like most people, I read the back cover. Rather than kudos from other Christian writers or critics, there is a note from Liz Curtis Higgs herself. Her first comment is that as she studied all the usual women of the Bible -- role models – she found she had nothing in common with them at all. This led her to discover the lessons in the stories of the “bad girls.” I actually felt a little sorry for her – she couldn’t find anything in herself reflected in the “good girls?”

I noted, too that she describes her own writing in a strongly self confident manner –- “I’ve included plenty of “Lizzie style” commentary to keep readers smiling…,” she writes. While this may be true, the fact that she pointed it out herself almost turned me off. Sure, we should all be self confident; we should all know our strengths and be willing to reveal them. However, my personal reaction to Liz’s comment was the sense that she is rather smug about herself. A little “prideful,” I thought. But then, I reassessed, maybe I’m being overcritical, a little judgmental? So I read the book anyway.

In the end, I was glad I read it. Looking through it again, after all these years, I can still find something that makes me go “ah-ha!”

So, you’ve learned a little bit about this book – and a little bit about me. If you read “Bad Girls of the Bible,” you’ll be sure to learn a little bit new about yourself.

If you don’t mind, I’d like to let you in on a little kept secret – you can learn a little bit about my past in this book. It’s available on Amazon in print or Kindle.

Thank you for having me!

"Parables from the Back Side - A Case for the "Un-Hired" Hand" - Faith UMC, Phoenix, AZ June 21, 2015

Sometimes we get so caught up in our expectations that we forget why we came in the first place. What are we here to do? Why are we doing it? Who are we doing it for?

Scripture 1: Matthew 20:1-15 - The Laborers in the Vineyard

‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?”

Scripture 2: Matthew 19:23-25

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ 26But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

Sermon

      When we hear the story that was read earlier, the one that Jesus told about the workers in the vineyard, we tend to think quite literally about work and employment, don’t we? We think of people standing about, waiting; perhaps chatting, telling jokes, much like those we sometimes see gathered on certain street corners, hoping for someone to choose them for the next job. And we think of payment in terms of cash, right?

      But - What if we thought about the Vineyard not only as the place where the work is done, but also as the Spirit with which the work is done? The purpose to which the work is done? And what if we thought about all those un-hired hands not as literally idle, but simply not yet working for the Landowner? Think about it: nobody really sits idle for long, not truly.

      J. Ellsworth Kalas, author of Parables from the Back Side, Bible Stories with a Twist, writes, “The response “because no one has hired us” represents, to me, a waiting world. It is a picture of the pathos of those millions of people who go throughout their lives with an almost unceasing emptiness, while they wait for someone to “hire” them.” Notice that Kalas uses the word “un-hired.” Not “unemployed.” What brought those “idle” workers to the marketplace? Are they really “idle?” What if the people who are milling about in the parable waiting to be hired are actually employed in doing good works, serving others, even attending church? What if they are busy doing their jobs, but not really working for the right kind of pay? In fact, perhaps they are not idle workers after all, but idol workers. They are working to gain worldly pay, necessary for living, but useless when it comes to spiritual growth and being in relationship with God.

      I think those who are gathered in the market hoping to be hired represent those who are responding to what John Wesley called “Prevenient Grace.” Timothy Tennant, president of Asbury Theological Seminary, writes that “Prevenient grace is a collective term for all the ways in which God’s grace comes into our lives prior to conversion.” Prevenient Grace is the Grace that is present even if we aren’t aware of it, giving us the ability to choose between good and evil. We feel discontent, knowing that we are seeking something, but not knowing what it is. This is a sign that we are hearing the call of God!

      You see, God’s Grace is always present, always calling; calling each of to come closer to God. Marjorie Suchocki writes that this is the Process of God, this Grace that constantly calls us toward choices that will bring us closer. We make a choice, and then Grace calls us toward another choice that brings us even closer. If we make a different choice, God allows for that and Grace provides us a different opportunity to choose God. On and on throughout our lives, Grace is available to us. All we have to do is choose to acknowledge it, and we will be working for the Landowner!

      On the official United Methodist Church website the page about Grace tells us that “God’s grace stirs up within us a desire to know God and empowers us to respond to God’s invitation to be in relationship with God. God’s grace enables us to discern differences between good and evil and makes it possible for us to choose good.” This means that that we can be working for God without even knowing it!

      As I was doing my research about Prevenient Grace, I came across an old blog conversation from 2006 between a more Calvinist theologian and a Wesleyan by the name of Jason Watson.  Watson turned out to be the current Media Producer of Childrens and Student Ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City. In that blog conversation, Watson wrote that “…the light of faith is a part of God's grace to humanity. Since God desires that humanity may be saved, God gives grace to enable this salvation. Faith is evidenced through the exercise of the will in response to God's grace.”

      I believe that it is this exercise of will that brought the un-hired hands to the marketplace. They know that they are doing good things, and that there is something to be gained, but not what it is, nor where it is to come from.

      They don’t know yet that all they need to do is work for God’s Kingdom. And so, they wait until they are hired. That is, until they are invited. Well, wait a minute – there’s more to being hired than being invited, isn’t there? One must agree to work for the wages offered. When Jesus said it was difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, I think he was drawing the line between what kind of payment one expects for one’s work and the real mode of payment in the Vineyard. 

      You may recall that before Jesus told this parable, he had been speaking to a rich man who wanted to know what he needed to do to enter the Kingdom of God. The young man he had been speaking to said he was already following the commandments. Jesus told him that he would need to give away his riches to the poor and follow him. The rich man went away sad because he was being asked to give his possessions to the poor in order to follow Jesus. I think he missed the most important question he could have asked Jesus. I think the most important question was, “what is the payment if I follow you?”

      He missed that question because he could only think in terms of financial and material gain. Peter asks the question the rich man didn’t, and the answer he got was this parable, isn’t it? And I think that payment is Grace.

      Everyone has access to this Grace, and has the choice to accept it…or not. God’s Grace is offered equally for everyone who accepts it. In the parable, the first hired workers are a little bit like the rich man, thinking that they deserved more than those who come later, but God’s Grace is not doled out to those who deserve it, but given freely to all, even to those who are unaware.

      Some of us think of ourselves as “seeking,” yet I think what is really happening is that our hearts have heard the Voice of God, whispering to us the promise of Heaven. We enter into the marketplace, waiting to be hired. What does it take to be hired, then?

      The Vineyard is the place where we become true servants of the Landowner. It is anyplace where we find our purpose. That is, the purpose for which God has called us. For some, that might mean a special call to ministry as a pastor or lay leader. It might mean doing missionary work or working in a non-profit. It just as easily might be working in the service industry, a factory, or a bank.

      It could be that we are hired right where we are, for as I suggested earlier, the Vineyard isn’t a special place or a special job; it’s the purpose for which we do what we do. The difference between working for the Landowner and working for someone else is in our hearts, and the fruit is in our actions.

      Once we’re hired, it’s our duty to represent our employer to the best of our abilities, isn’t it? The Vineyard is owned by the most generous and loving Landowner - God. We are responsible for maintaining it without grumbling about fairness and without worrying about how we will acquire the resources we need to do our job, for God’s Grace will provide those resources, one way or another.

      What about those who don’t hear the voice of God? What about those who hear it, but don’t understand? The Good News about that comes right out of Jesus’ parable! It’s never too late! God’s Grace is continually available, continually calling to us, providing opportunities for us to hear the invitation. Once we are hired, it is our duty to take that freely given Grace that we are now aware of and share it with others.

      A few weeks back, I visited you here at Faith. I came to hear my friend Jody, your pastor, preach for her first congregation. After the service, I joined a few of you who gathered at the front of the sanctuary to share in Holy Communion. It was a beautiful experience. There’s something in the gathering for Communion, isn’t there? Whether we are with friends or strangers, whether we gather once a month or every day, the Holy Spirit is there, isn’t She?

      Grace is there, calling to each of us. Some come to the table early, some come late. Some come not because they heard the Call, but because they were told to be there. Some of us remember being “drug” to church as children, right? Then, there are those who have been taught that in order to take Communion, they must already be Christian. In fact, John Wesley wholeheartedly disagreed with this! He believed that conversion could happen in the Eucharist. That is one reason why we practice the open table, and it doesn’t matter who wishes to join in, because Wesley taught that because of Prevenient Grace, someone could become a Christian as a result of taking Communion.

      So, that Sunday a couple of weeks ago, there we were, hired hands receiving our pay. That Sunday, when we were finished with the Eucharist, Pastor Jody and Joshua were serving one another when two women came into the sanctuary. They were late and uncertain if they would be able to partake. Without hesitation, those already at the table opened ranks, held out their hands, and invited them in. Late to the table, they were paid equally.

      When we come to the marketplace, we are already invited to the Vineyard. Let us accept our pay, the Grace of our Lord, and with the strength and power of that Grace, invite others to join us in Discipleship. For that is the true task of the hired hands, isn’t it? Not just to come to the Vineyard, and Justified, call ourselves Christian, take our free Grace, and go home!

       No, we are to serve our Master by doing our daily tasks to God’s glory so that others might hear the always present Invitation of Prevenient Grace. When we do this, we are partners with Christ in the Sanctification of our lives in the Vineyard, becoming Perfect in God’s Grace.

Amen.

Eastertide: From Easter Sunday through the Third Sunday of Easter

April 5 was Easter Sunday. St. Brigid in the Desert held an impromptu gathering of two to share a discussion of the concept of Resurrection, the Christ, and our own lives. We sat at the Communion Table/Altar set up in the sacred space in my (Pastor Suzy's) back yard. After our conversation and a short meditation, we shared Communion. The service recorded below includes that Resurrection Sunday conversation, as well as some continued thoughts on the subject. The Easter season continues until Pentecost. Watch for new services/messages to be posted!

Welcome

Opening Prayer/Call to Worship/Calling the Quarters/Invocation

Let us pray:

Today we gather to celebrate the Resurrected Christ. Help us to understand, O Holy One, the meaning of this Mystery.

SONG/CHANT/POEM – The story goes that when Jesus was first seen after the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene mistook him for the gardener. Let’s sing a verse of one of my favorite hymns, In the Garden.

I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses; and he walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own; and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.*

*In The Garden (I Come to the Garden Alone) by C. Austin Miles, 1913
- United Methodist Hymnal #314

SACRED READINGS

Our first reading comes from author Chuck Palahniuk, in Fight Club:

“Only after disaster can we be resurrected.”

Our Second Reading today comes from the Book of Luke, Chapter 24, verses 13-27

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ ²⁵Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures

MESSAGE –

So, it is Eastertide! In most Christian churches on Easter morning, the liturgist or pastor will have said, “He is risen!” and the congregation will have responded with “He is risen, indeed!” and it will have been a beautiful, joyous response to the end of a dark week. The week before Easter Sunday is called “Holy Week” in the Christian tradition. You may be familiar. The first day of Holy Week was called “Palm Sunday,” and represented the day that Jesus walked (or rode a young donkey) into Jerusalem, drawing attention to himself. His followers were waving palms and shouting “Alleluia! Hosanna!” They would definitely have made a spectacle of themselves.

Jesus came into Jerusalem that day knowing that it was likely he would be arrested, and he was right. After all, he had challenged the status quo. If he rode in on a donkey colt, he did it purposefully to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah that said, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” He knew that those who gathered in Jerusalem for Passover would recognize the statement he was making, that he had come to reveal God’s purpose for the Jewish people. Just the week before, Jesus had done something that likely made the powerful Pharisees angry. He had come to the funeral of his friend Lazarus, and after weeping for the loss of this friend and compatriot, he called him out of the grave, alive. Personally, I think there’s more to this story. Jesus and his Apostles had met with Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha before. Perhaps the death of Lazarus had made the Pharisees in power happy. Certainly, we know from scripture that some of those who were in the house mourning with Mary slipped out to tell the them what had happened. It was then that they actively began to plot Jesus’ death.

As his troupe came into the city loud and raucous, Jesus saw the tax collector Zaccheus, who had climbed up into a tree so he could see what was happening.  Jesus called him down and invited himself to Zaccheus’ house, where something he said or did caused the tax collector to change his ways. He was a much hated man, for he had been taking more than people owed the Romans and pocketing the overage so that he could become a rich man. By the time Jesus left his house that day, Zaccheus promised to pay everyone back more than he had stolen from them! That day, the Romans lost one of their best tax collectors.

Each miracle that Jesus was said to have performed, each new follower he gained, each act of moral defiance that he encouraged got him a step closer to death, and he knew it. He may not have known that it would happen that week. He may not have known how it would occur, but he knew. By Thursday he had been betrayed. That night, as the sun set and Passover began, he sat with his Apostles, his closest friends, and some of his other Disciples. He shared a meal with them, and told them things they did not understand. He told them to serve one another, and he showed them what he meant by washing their feet. He broke bread and drank wine with them, and told them to remember him each time they did that. He gave them a community, connecting them by the very bread they ate, equating it with his body, and the wine with his blood, that they might remember that he would live on in them. When he was done, he went to the garden where he was sold out by his friend Judas.

Jesus was beaten, forced to carry his own cross to the hill where the Roman executioners would plant it before nailing him by his wrists and feet to it. It’s important to realize that Jesus was not the only person who was crucified. The two who were crucified beside him were not the only ones. The Romans had been using crucifixion as capital punishment for a long time. Hundreds – thousands were crucified. The road was lined with crosses with those who had been sentenced to death hanging until they died of suffocation and exposure so that the rest of the population would see them and be warned against breaking the law or acting against the authorities. They nailed Jesus to his cross on Friday, but he didn’t die before sundown, when the Sabbath would begin, so he was killed by the sword, taken down from the cross, and carried to the tomb his friend Joseph of Arimathea gave to him.

Some people say that Jesus “died for our sins.” Have you thought about that idea that “Jesus died for us,” or “for our sins?”

(Discussion)

What do you think that means?

(Discussion)

I don’t believe he died as a scapegoat. Here’s what I think:

First, I think the phrase “for our sins” is misinterpreted. I think that Jesus died because of “our” sins; that is, humanity’s inhumanity to humanity. We are cruel to one another. When someone commits a crime against us or against our ideals, we wish the worst for them. Sometimes the worst is imposed on them, even when their crime is one of conscience. Over the past few years we’ve seen in the news that people are being arrested for feeding the homeless. While these arrests have created outcries across the country, there are still people who complain about the homeless and those who “encourage” them by feeding them. Sounds a little bit like we’re feeding the bears or something, doesn’t it? This is a minor thing in comparison to what it means to do the right thing in a truly oppressive society.

In 2012, a 14 year old girl from Pakistan named Malala Yousafzai spoke out, insisting that young girls deserved an education.  For speaking up, this brave young woman was shot in the face and almost killed by Taliban members. Though Malala has earned the Nobel Peace Prize for her bravery and her work toward education for all, there are still Taliban members that would be happy if she had died. She did not die; in fact, one might say that she was resurrected after her suffering, for she continues to speak up. Malala was shot because of the hatred some people feel for women and for Western education. You could say that she was shot because of those people’s sinfulness. I think you could say she was shot because of the human sins of misogyny and hatred.

I think this is why Jesus died. Jesus spoke up for the oppressed; and not just the Jews who were oppressed by the Roman occupiers, but for those who were oppressed by his own people: women, slaves, foreigners, and prisoners. Jesus died because his stance for equality and justice caused fear in those who oppressed others.

So, he died not FOR our (humanity’s) sins, but BECAUSE of our (humanity’s) sins, and the reason he was killed was that he lived a life that brought salvation to others even in his lifetime.

And his body lay in that tomb until Sunday. What happened to Jesus in those three days is a continuous theological debate. But it is what happened on Sunday morning that matters to us today. On Sunday morning, the women went to prepare his body for burial, and he was gone. He left behind the cloth that had covered him. He had risen from the dead!

So what do you think we mean when we say that Jesus was resurrected?

(Discussion)

I want you to know that I believe that he quite literally returned from the dead. I am a mystic. I have had enough spiritual experiences to know that there is something of us all that continues after our bodies have stopped working. So, I believe in the Resurrection, but I don’t believe Jesus’ body was the same as the one he died in. I believe that it was transformed into something new. You see, he spoke with others after his resurrection, but they didn’t recognize him. Mary thought he was the gardener, and later, as today’s reading tells us, two of his Disciples walked with him for a long while before they began to recognize him, not from how he looked, but from what he said. This new body could do things his physical body could never do. He appeared to the Apostles in a locked room; he disappeared just as quietly. When Thomas* insisted on seeing and touching the wounds, Jesus manifested the wounds, though they had not been apparent when he visited with the others earlier. I believe that he died as Jesus, and was resurrected as the Christ.

Yes, I happen to believe that Jesus was so close to God that after his body had been tortured and killed, he was so spiritually powerful that he could rise out of that body and continue the work that he had to do.  He had to teach those who needed to understand what he had done so they could tell others. Jesus had died, and rose again, at least temporarily, for Love. I think the Buddhists might call him a “Bodhisattva.” Like a Bodhisattva, he achieved enlightenment, yet after shedding his earthly body remained close to those he loved so he could help them achieve the same awareness of God that he had tried to teach when he was alive. Then, he let go of the near-physical form, and remains as the Christ, living on in us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He lives on in those who share his love, and in those who need his love. For did he not say, in Matthew 25, "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me?”

Of course, this metaphysical way of thinking of Jesus is not the only way to understand the resurrection, and I don’t mind if you look at it differently than I do.

You see, like all people who are loved, Jesus lived on in the memories of those who loved him, and they continued to teach what he taught to the best of their abilities. He left behind the knowledge of his Way, and it is by following his Way, we are “saved.” To quote Rev. Roger Wolsey of Boulder, Colorado, author of Kissing Fish: Christianity for People Who Don't Like Christianity, “Jesus is our model who shows us how to truly live a Godly life and thus experience and know salvation wholeness and abundant/eternal life here and now – and beyond. It is by loving others and receiving their love; forgiving others and receiving their forgiveness; by treating others justly and receiving their just treatment; and by being reconciled with others – that we know and experience salvation.”

In this, there is hope. Hope for the world with all its faults and hope for us. The Risen Christ offers us all the opportunity to be His disciples. When we recognize Him, when we follow Him, He hands us a key to the kind of Love that we can only experience when we know God. The only way to experience this Love is to share it. Here it is:  what will you do with it?

Prayer:

O Giver of Life, Resurrector of Souls, Lover of Creation, give us hope that we might follow the Way of the Christ. Give us peace that we might share with others, and give them hope. In our hearts, O Holy One, He is Risen.  He is Risen, indeed! Amen.

GUIDED MEDITATION – (Short introduction:  As Jesus modeled the need for silence, so too did the Buddha model ways of seeking oneness in the moment.  Let us take a few moments to be in silence where we can be fully present to God in us.  Please settle into your seats so that you are comfortable.  I will guide you.)

As always, we will begin with three deep belly breaths; in through the nose and out through the mouth.  Please close your eyes.  Now, breathe in steadily, gently imagining the breath filling your belly……breathe out now, softly.  Breathe in again, as deeply as you can, your belly is a balloon to be filled…..now release through your mouth gently.  One more time, breathe in….and breathe out.

Now sit in the quiet, with your eyes closed, and imagine you are in a cave. It’s a very dark cave. You are sitting in the cave, on a small ledge or a flat rock. As you are sitting there, you hear the sound of a large rock being rolled in front of the entrance. You are alone, and now you are trapped. In the darkness, you can hear a small stream of water flowing. Listen to the sound of the water. Sitting in the silence, allow your thoughts to come and go naturally. Do not push them away, yet do not embrace them either. Just sit and be in the utter darkness. Notice how you feel. Remember those feelings.

Sit in silence for 5 minutes or more…

Now, imagine you hear the sound of the stone rolling away. You are still sitting in darkness. Notice if your feelings change. Remember those feelings and those changes.

Sit in silence for 1 minute more…

Now, as you hear my voice, prepare yourself to open your eyes, but don’t open them yet.  When I ring the bell, open them. See the light! Notice what you feel.

(Ring bell)

Debrief.

BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER

When Jesus took the bread and said, “This is my body,” I think perhaps he meant, “This life of mine is like bread for your spirit; take it, “eat it,” following it, and you will be sustained.”

When He took the wine and said, “This is my blood,” I think he meant that like the blood that flows within and keeps us alive and makes us like all other creatures, like the water that flows through all living things, the wine we drink together will flow through us like the River of God; we are One with that River and with one another.

Sharing of the Bread and Wine

Share in the Bread of Life; that you may never hunger

Share in the Wine of Community; that you may never thirst.

BENEDICTION

Let us see the Hope we have in Christ! Let us know what it is to find salvation.  Let us live the Way that He lived, in Perfect Love, and Perfect Trust.  Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet Again.

*For an excellent new way of looking at Thomas, listen to this sermon by United Methodist pastor Rev. Jeri Wilkerson.

*For another way of looking at the reason Jesus was not recognized, listen to this sermon by UMC pastor Rev. Rosemary Anderson.