All Saints Sunday
November 3, 2019
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Decorah, Iowa
Rev. Amy Zalk Larson

Click here to see scripture passages for the day.

Beloved of God, grace to you and peace in the name of Jesus.

I don’t like hearing Jesus say, “woe to you”- especially on All Saints Sunday. On this day, I just want to grieve and give thanks for the saints who’ve gone before us. And, as we do that, I want to focus on God’s words of comfort and promise for us all.

I don’t want to hear, “woe to you who are rich … (because we’re all rich in comparison to just about everyone else who’s ever lived on this planet). I don’t want to hear, “woe to you who are full now … woe to you who laugh”. These words of judgement feel so harsh. The end of our Psalm to- day feels even more harsh as we hear about God’s people wreaking vengeance on the nations and inflicting God’s judgement.

On All Saints Sunday, I want to focus on God’s presence with us in our suffering – wiping away our tears and making for us a feast of rich foods and well-aged wines. God with us in times of sorrow and struggle is such good news.

And yet, God’s judgement is also good news for us because it is one way that God brings healing.

God is active in the face of our suffering. God doesn’t just say, “I am so sorry for your pain. I wish I could do something to help.” God doesn’t just offer nice phrases like leaders who say, “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims,” and yet take no action.

God is with us in suffering, but God is also actively at work to heal us.

And one of the ways God brings healing is to convey judgement about our ways of being that are harmful to us and other people.

We may not always want to hear this message and yet, in our suffering, we need more than empathy. We also need to address the things that contribute to it.

This reminds me of a very funny video called “It’s Not About the Nail.” The video, which admittedly reinforces gender stereotypes – plays with the idea that women don’t want men to try to fix our suffering, offering advice and problem solving. We want you to listen and empathize. Yet, there are times when there is something causing us pain that could be fixed.

The video starts out with a woman talking to her male partner and you see just part of her face. She says, “It’s just, there’s all this pressure, you know. And sometimes it feels like it’s right up on me and I can just feel it – like literally feel it in my head and it’s relentless … “ She turns and you can see that she has a nail sticking out of her forehead.

The man replies, “Yeah, well you do a have a nail in your head.” “It is not about the nail,” she answers. “Are you sure,” he asks, “because, I mean, I bet if we got that out of there …” She interrupts, “You always do this – you always try to fix things when all I really need is for you to just listen.” “No, see, I don’t know if that is what you need; I think what you need is to get the nail out.”

Finally, she persuades him to just listen as she describes how she’s not sleeping well and all of her sweaters are snagged, literally all of the sweaters.

He listens and says, “That sounds really hard.” She’s grateful and they go to kiss, but the nail gets in the way.

It’s very funny, look for it on YouTube.

In our suffering, we all need people who are simply with us in the pain (and, I have to say, not man-splaining!) Yet, we also need to address what is leading to the suffering, especially because it’s rarely as obvious as a nail sticking out of our head.

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus lets us know that our compassionate God is so very present with us in struggle and is especially present to those most in need. Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh.

Jesus also calls our attention to things that can be harmful – especially money, abundance, merriment and respect. These things are often viewed as a sign of God’s favor. Yet, here and throughout the Gospel of Luke, Jesus asks us to take another look at them.

Wealth and ease can lead to an arrogance that corrodes our lives, blunting our sense of solidarity with and responsibility towards others. Excess wealth and food can whet our appetite for more and more, leading us to harm our earthly home. We can become infected with fear and violence as we try to defend what we have. Respect can lead us to crave praise at the expense of truth and integrity. And when we have all these things, there is no room for God who is the source of our life and hope, there is no room for real community. All of this can leave us empty and alone.

God longs for us to live connected to each other in ways that allow all to flourish. So, Jesus says take heed, watch out for the things that can get in the way of that. These things that you think are a sign of God’s favor can be like a nail in your head.

Then, Jesus continues with guidance about how to live differently, how to address that nail. Love your enemies, pray for those who harm you, share with those in need, do to others as you would have them do to you.

This is the way of Jesus, the way that leads to healing for us and for this whole suffering world.

This is the way of the whole communion of saints to which we belong. The saints before us have heard Jesus’ words of judgment and forgiveness and have lived differently as a result. They have sought God’s justice and mercy for the nations, for those who are poor, hungry, weeping and
persecuted. They have loved, prayed, forgiven and shared. Through them, God has been so very active.

God doesn’t just say, I’m so sorry for your suffering.

God speaks a word of judgement and forgiveness to the saints, including each of us. God’s word changes lives and brings healing to the world – as the saints live in the way of Jesus.

Dear saints of God, we, too, can live in the way of Jesus because our just and compassionate God is with us always, with you always. We have all that we need for lives of justice and joy.

Let’s take a moment for silent prayer.

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Reformation Sunday
October 27, 2019
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Decorah, Iowa
Rev. Amy Zalk Larson

Click here to read scripture passages for the day.

Beloved of God, grace to you and peace in the name of Jesus. Amen.

When I hear this story, I picture Zacchaeus as Danny DeVito, that short actor who often plays sketchy, dishonest types. Somehow DeVito makes these characters appear sympathetic. He helps us relate to them.

Zacchaeus is definitely a sketchy guy. He’s grown rich collecting taxes for the Roman Empire, which means he’s charging his neighbors too much and pocketing the extra. Ancient tax collectors are not sympathetic characters.

Yet picture Zacchaeus as Danny DeVito and it might help you relate to him. Or, just hear his story again and notice how much it has in common with ours.

Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is passing through his town – just passing through mind you, not staying for a while. Something big, exciting and potentially life changing is coming and Zacchaeus is afraid it’s just going to pass him by.

We can relate to that feeling. We know what it is to worry that we’re going to miss out on some-thing important – that life, healing, and hope are just going to pass us by.

Zacchaeus doesn’t want to miss out. So, he tries to get some face time with Jesus, but the crowd gets in his way.

We know what that feels like, too. There are so many obstacles that keep us from what we most need – the press of people, demands, noise, busyness. The crowd gets in the way.

Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus but he’s coming up short. So, he hustles to outrun the crowd and scrambles up a tree. That’s totally a Danny DeVito move – doing something undignified and potentially dangerous to get in on the action. Yet we also know what it’s like to feel we’re coming up short. We know the pressure to scramble, hustle and climb, to get ahead of it all. And when we’re panicked about getting passed over or missing out, we, too, can find ourselves in some ridiculous, perilous positions

That’s where Jesus finds Zacchaeus; that’s where Jesus finds us. We’d like for Jesus to see us at our Sunday best – calm, collected, dignified. We don’t want him to see us when we’re rushing and crazy and scrambling to keep up with it all. We’d prefer to appear more like Morgan Freeman and less like Danny DeVito.

Yet Jesus finds Zacchaeus. Jesus finds us where we are – even when we’re just barely hanging on from a perilous perch.

Jesus looks at Zacchaeus, and at us, and says, “Hurry and come down. You who’ve done so much scrambling, hustling and climbing, come quickly now to me. You who’ve worked yourself up to such a state, come down to me. I’m not going to pass you by, I’m going to stay at your house, I will be with you.”

Zacchaeus hurries down and welcomes Jesus.

Just as soon as he’s down, the noise of the crowd starts up again. People grumble and complain – this sinful tax collector is not worthy of Jesus’ attention. But strikingly, Zacchaeus is done trying to outmaneuver them all. Jesus has come to stay with Zacchaeus and that has changed everything.

We’re told, “Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’”

He stands there, stands firm, and says, in essence, I’m done with hustling people and climbing and trying to get ahead. I don’t need all that now. I can let that go. I can let many of my possessions go. I have what I need. I can act in ways that will lead to real life-giving relationships with others.

Jesus’ presence has given Zacchaeus a new way of being – a way that is generous and hopeful. Jesus’ presence also helps Zacchaeus to stand fast in this new way of being, even when others grumble about him. Beloved, Jesus has also come to stay with us, with you. The risen Jesus is present with us always by the power of the Spirit.

Jesus meets us here today in bread and wine, in word and song, in the gathered community and those the world sees as the last and least.

Jesus finds us wherever we are and says, “I see you and I want to be with you.” In him, the God of the universe is present with us to forgive us, to love us and feed us.

Jesus finds us in the midst of all the worries, fear, demands and press of daily life to say I am here, come down, breathe, stand still for a moment. You have what you need. You can pause and rest and open your hands to others.

Since Jesus is with us, we have all that we need to let go of hurry and worry, hustle and scramble. We can live in ways that lead to life-giving relationships with others and with the earth.

This is the good news that Jesus brings, the good news that we celebrate on Reformation Sunday. It’s the good news on which we can stand firm like Zacchaeus, like Martin Luther the Reformer, like the saints before us. Jesus is here to stay with you. You have all that you need.

Let’s take a moment for silent prayer.