{"id":1160,"date":"2020-10-11T08:33:46","date_gmt":"2020-10-11T12:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/?p=1160"},"modified":"2020-10-11T08:33:50","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T12:33:50","slug":"what-are-you-wearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/2020\/10\/11\/what-are-you-wearing\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are You Wearing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Sermon for the First Congregational Church of Albany NY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Rev. James Eaton, Pastor * \u00a9 2020 All Rights Reserved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

19th Sunday After Pentecost * October 11, 2020<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Philippians 4:1\u20139<\/a> \u2022 M<\/a>atthew 22:1\u201314<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSaturday I have to take Lucy for her rabbi shot.\u201d It was a simple text from Jacquelyn; most of you know Lucy is our little seven pound endlessly barking dog. What you may not know is that our best friends in Albany beyond the church are our neighbors who are Orthodox Jews. So we hear a bit about rabbis and we\u2019re very conscious about Saturday being their sabbath. But why would Lucy need a shot to protect against a rabbi? I looked at the text again and then it hit me: the demonic spell checker had hit again and converted \u2018rabies\u2019 to \u2018rabbi\u2019. I laughed, I laughed and laughed again. The spell checker failed but in failing made me laugh. We are a society frantic to succeed; what if going forward means failing? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wrong Shirt, Wrong Time<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s gospel reading contains two parables. One is about a great banquet; that occurs in a slightly different form in the Gospel of Luke as well. The other is this strange, last part about the a guest at a wedding who gets thrown out, all the way out, into the outer darkness, because they wore the wrong thing. I guess we all wear the wrong thing sometimes. One day, I put on a nice shirt with pink stripes only to have Jacquelyn take one look, make the face, the one that says,  \u201cOh no!\u201d and inform me that it was a spring shirt. I didn\u2019t know shirts had seasons. So I had to find one what went with fall for reasons I didn\u2019t understand and put that on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This unfortunate guest has made the same mistake: he\u2019s mistaken the time. Clothing rules are really about showing respect, a way of acting by wearing. When my daughter Amy was married, I did what ministers do: I wore a suit. Jacquelyn had many things to navigate: what was the mother of the bride wearing? what were the bridesmaids wearing? Would it be hot or cold? Did it call for heels? Coming up with the right outfit wasn\u2019t as much about style as about showing respect to her new stepdaughter and the rest of the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue here isn\u2019t style, it\u2019s whether we are responding to God\u2019s call in Christ. Clothing is a symbol for who you are and who you are following. Paul knows this. In a culture where the symbol of power was the armored Roman soldier, he says to Christians, \u201c\u2026be strong in the Lord and in God\u2019s mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil\u2019s schemes. [Ephesians 2:10f]\u201d The guest with the wrong garment failed to grasp the moment; he failed to honor the king. The punishment is to be left out of the kingdom, for the kingdom is the place of light; the outer darkness mentioned is its opposite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are You Ready for the King?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So the critical issue here is this: are you ready for the king? The best way to understand this story is to look at the context. If we look a little farther back, we find that Jesus tells a series of three parables about people who miss out on the kingdom. We read one two weeks ago: a man tells two sons to go work in the vineyard; one replies, \u201cI go!\u201d but doesn\u2019t, one replies, \u201cI will not,\u201d but goes. \u201cWhich did the will of the father?,\u201d Jesus asks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second is also about a vineyard. A householder plants a vineyard and then lets it out to tenants. At harvest, the tenants beat his servants and kill one. He sends more servants; same result. Finally, he sends his son; they cast him out of the vineyard and kill him. What will the owner do when he comes? The answer is obvious and the disaster that befalls the tenants comes from their failure to remember the vineyard doesn\u2019t belong to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we have the parable of the great supper, in this version is a marriage feast. Once again, this is a story where someone loses out because they don\u2019t grasp the moment. That\u2019s a common thread in these stories. The son who doesn\u2019t go into the vineyard, the vineyard workers who kill the owner\u2019s son, the guests who don\u2019t come to the feast are images of people who should have known better and didn\u2019t. They are images about Israel\u2019s spiritual life; the vineyard is an ancient image for God\u2019s people. The stories take place in a setting of conflict with religious leaders and just before the parable of the great supper, we read that the Pharisees and Chief Priests knew he was speaking about them and are plotting to arrest Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The structure of this parable is simple. A king invites several subjects to a wedding feast; each refuses, giving as a reason some concern of his own. In response, the king wipes out the things they thought were important and, left with an empty banquet hall, invites strangers instead. The feast goes on but those first invited aren\u2019t present. They weren\u2019t ready for the king and their failure destroys them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two stories of failure; two stories of rejection: that\u2019s a lot for a Sunday morning! What is Jesus saying? What can we learn about following him from these failures? Perhaps the most important thing is the urgency of now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Urgent Now<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A wedding is a unique moment. That\u2019s what the invited guests miss. \u201c\u2026they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,\u201d [Matthew 22:5] They missed this most important part of the invitation: \u201cEverything is ready.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the beginning, Jesus has been saying the same thing. In Matthew\u2019s gospel, Jesus begins to work when John is arrested and he begins to preach with this simple message: \u201cRepent, for the kingdom of God heaven is at hand.\u201d [Matthew 4:17] He lifts up the tradition of God\u2019s people; he talks about the future of God\u2019s people. But he begins with the urgent now: \u201cthe kingdom of heaven is at hand\u201d\u2014right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow is the time,\u201d was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s favorite phrase. The gospels\u2019s give us two patterns of calls to discipleship. The first is the call of Peter and Andrew. In their case, the signature is the immediate response: \u201cHe said to them, \u2018Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Immediately they left their nets and followed him.\u2019\u201d The same pattern is repeated with John and James. They\u2019re mending nets, working with their father when Jesus comes to them and Matthew tells us, \u201cImmediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.\u201d [Matthew 4:20\u201322] But later, when a scribe offers to follow him, he\u2019s discouraged when Jesus tells him that foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.\u201d Another follower who wants to wait to begin following him while he buries his father is told to leave the dead to bury their own dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow is the time.\u201d The great irony in the story is the violence. Those invited were concerned about their farms and businesses; the king destroys them both. What they thought was so important is gone. What now? What will they do now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a parable for this moment. How often were we told that we lived in the most advanced country in the world? When the pandemic first began, it was easy for many to believe the promises of leaders that we had nothing to worry about. After all, we had resources, we had the Center for Disease Control, the CDC, why worry, why wear a mask or close a business or stay home? We missed the urgency of the moment and just as in this story, disaster has resulted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow is the time.\u201d Jesus preaches the urgency of now: the kingdom is at hand. It\u2019s not tomorrow, it\u2019s not yesterday, it\u2019s right now, right here. What are we going to do? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living from the Mind of Christ Now<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the question each day: what are we going to do now? what are we going to do today? It\u2019s certainly the question Paul presses on the church in Philippi. In the part we read this morning, he gets personal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life <\/p>Philippians 4:1\u20133<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The church is divided; these two women lead factions. You know how strong feelings must be running for it to threaten the life of the church. It\u2019s easy to love your enemy as long as your enemy is abstract; when it\u2019s that annoying Syntyche, when it\u2019s that awful Euodia, it\u2019s harder, isn\u2019t it? I\u2019ve always thought there was great insight in Jesus\u2019 command to love your neighbor. The world is easy to love; a neighbor, someone close by is harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we\u2019re back to what we talked about two weeks ago, also from this letter to the Philippians: have this mind among yourselves that was the mind of Christ. Except now it\u2019s focused, now it\u2019s harder because now it\u2019s now. Now is the time: now is the time we\u2019re called to live from the mind of Christ. We\u2019ve talked about how humility can lead us to this; Paul says, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now he offers a standard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to fight a church fight when you are thinking about things that are honorable, just, pure, commendable. It\u2019s hard to rant in your head about someone and think about what is pleasing, worth of praise and so on. Everyone who hikes learns to watch for trail markers; everyone who drives watches the signs. These are signs of the mind of Christ and if they aren\u2019t part of your journey, it\u2019s time to stop now, and do exactly what Jesus said: repent\u2014for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom is right here, right now, and if you aren\u2019t living from the mind of Christ, you\u2019re wearing the wrong outfit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are You Wearing?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is finally the message of these parables: following Christ is a series of moments, not a one time commitment that needs no follow up. Now is the time\u2014each day, each moment, each interaction. Now is the time to put on Christ; now is the moment to live from the mind of Christ. Today is the day we\u2019re invited to the kingdom. What are you wearing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Sermon for the First Congregational Church of Albany NY By Rev. James Eaton, Pastor * \u00a9 2020 All Rights Reserved 19th Sunday After Pentecost * October 11, 2020 Philippians 4:1\u20139 \u2022 Matthew 22:1\u201314 \u201cSaturday I have to take Lucy for her rabbi shot.\u201d It was a simple text from Jacquelyn; most of you know […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[101,39,109,3,13,2,69],"tags":[21,192,237,26],"class_list":["post-1160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-after-pentecost","category-exegesis","category-matthew","category-sermon","category-theology","category-worship","category-year-a","tag-commitment","tag-discipleship","tag-grace","tag-parable"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1160"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1162,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions\/1162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}