Theva's "Religion with Heart"

Religion with a Heart!   Psalm 81 and Luke 14

Most Holy God, get us attuned to your word in this holy

moment.  Show us what we have to do to live right these days. Teach us how we have to be to emulate your life. And with your Spirit make us what we are not. Amen!

Grace and peace are already ours for we belong to the family of Jesus the Christ. Whether you would like to listen to a sermon on banquets and meals or not, our gospel today finds Jesus at a dinner party. It is a home of a rich Pharisee. And it is a Sabbath banquet. Normally they are elaborately done. We also know that whenever Jesus invited the social outcast for meals he had a good time with them. Because of his social engagement and involvement with all kinds of people he was often called a partier a drunkard and a glutton.

      In the life of Jesus there had been a lot of controversial dinner parties. In one dinner party (Luke: 7) a woman showed up and fell at his feet, poured some perfume and wiped it with her hair. Simon the host and the other Pharisees questioned him: don’t you know she is a woman of questionable character.? In the other diner party (Matt: 16) Jesus along with his disciples were accused of eating without washing their hands. Jesus on this occasion emphatically said that what goes into a person’s mouth does not defile that person but rather what comes out. If one’s heart is producing evil intentions, Jesus said, such as murder, theft, adultery slander and bigotry_ that defile the person.  It was sad that in most dinner parties Jesus was under scrutiny. He was observed from head to toe with fingers pointed at him.

       In today’s gospel there seems to be a role reversal. As a guest in the home of the rich Pharisee, he gets to observe the proceedings. Jesus is sitting at a prominent place in the dinner table. Perhaps there were VIP’s and other persons of privilege were invited to be seated at the head table. Perhaps people from the lower rung of the society were overlooked their respectful seats. Perhaps they had to stand in a faraway corner to get their meals. Jesus is able to see how the host approached those persons with humility. Then he advanced them to a prominent spot at the table. And this is my way of picturing this story. Now for Jesus this is a great teaching moment. He speaks to the Pharisee directly with a parable. The next time you invite guests make it more inclusive and invite all kinds of people. Let there be people from all walks of life. Extend the table to persons beyond your tribe, your clan and your kith and kin. Don’t send out invitation only to your rich friends. How about the ordinary people, the sons and daughters of the soil? How about the people of the margins, those from the highways and byways? These people can’t afford to throw a party back to you? Friend! If only you can grasp this kingdom principles and change your attitude you will certainly be blessed. Now a word of caution, to you, Jesus said:

 “FOR ALL WHO EXALT THEMSELVES WILL BE HUMBLED, AND THOSE WHO HUMBLE THEMSELVES WILL BE EXALTED”. Last Sunday you heard a sermon from Margaret about the meaning of Sabbath. With our new Sabbath understandings and the new guidelines on eating practices let us examine the religion of Jesus. Jesus was born a Jew, cradled in Judaism and died as a Jew. Jesus was nurtured in the religion of the temple.  Torah the first five books of the Old Testament was his religious text book. He was well versed in the Ten Commandments. He was also exposed from his boyhood days to the sacrificial system of the Jews, the offerings in the temple and to the hierarchy of the high priestly order.  The Ten Commandments was later modified into 613 legal statues. A British Theologian commenting on the Ten Commandments says: Why don’t we do away with the ten and have three instead? And they are patience, punctuality and a sense of fair play. Jesus condensed the ten into two: LOVE GOD AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR.

         I am not going to define religion here. As a teacher of religion I deal with definitions in academic settings all the time. I know that our definitions are either too narrow or too broad. From a commonsensical point of view religion does permeate into every aspect of human life. There is religion in our prayers and in our silences. There is religion in our culture, art, worship, work, study and conversations. Religion deals with our world view, belief system, values and our rituals. Jesus lived in a segregated society. And the social structure of his day was well marked as pure versus impure, clean versus unclean, rich versus poor, male verses female, Jew verses gentile. As a religious leader Jesus wanted to be faithful to Judaism yet felt a calling to break these boundaries.  Jesus condemned those who practiced piety for the sake of social recognition. “Do not sound trumpets when you give arms”. He warned his people not to brag too much about the external ceremonies of religion.  “You hypocrites” he told the Pharisees “even in the seasoning herbs you give tithe to God, but you neglect justice mercy and honesty.”

        Can you remember the very first sermon he preached in his home town synagogue in Nazareth? (Luke 4).He was expounding an Isaiah’s text. The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, to give sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free. His discourse on religion on that occasion won the hearts of every listener. It drew their admiration and it held their attention. For Jesus religion was not an abstract mumbo jumbo or an abstract theory of creation and salvation. It is an experience of pouring out one’s love for the other.   Again when Jesus sent out his team into the world to practice religion and engage in ministry, he gave a mandate “cure the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse the lepers and cast out demons”.(Matt:10)Religion has a lot to do with heart work.  Stephen Covey asks this question in his book the 8^th Habit. CAN THE MIND FUNCTION WITHOUT THE HEART? CAN THE HEART FEEL WITHOUT THE MIND?

        Are there any failures and misconceptions in religion? Yes there are many. We have used the bible in this country to justify slavery. In the sub-continent of India the cast system is accepted as a way of life based on the Hindu religious teaching. Holy wars and dying for good religious have divine sanctions in the sacred book of Koran. Just as Jesus questioned the religious practice of the ancient Jewish people, in every generation some of these ancient religious myths are questioned. In a book entitled:  Buddhism Betrayed, the Sri Lankan born Harvard University professor in Anthropology Stanly Tambiah says how the ancient religion of peace and compassion has now violated its core beliefs. Buddhism is somewhat of an official religion in the Island nation of Sri Lanka. But during the recent 30 year ethnic war in the country even the monks began to participate in violent protests undermining its very nature for it is an embodiment of harmony and non-violence. Friends I began this message with my prayer this morning and I want to conclude it with a prayer from the ancient Hindu scripture called the “UPANISHAD”.

“ LEAD US O GOD FROM THE UNREAL TO THE REAL, FROM THE DARKNESS TO THE LIGHT, AND FROM DEATH TO IMMORTALITY.” AMEN