Celebrating Sisters of Mercy; Luke 16:19-31

 

Rev. George Miller

March 30, 2025

Luke 16:19-31

 

On Wednesday we discussed the embodiment of Jesus, focusing on the gift of taste.

 

We noted that Luke’s Gospel features more scenes of Jesus going to, coming from, or at a meal, or talking about a meal.

 

It is said that Luke uses meals as moments to confront social norms, reveal the identity of Jesus, and show the inclusive nature of God’s Kingdom.

 

Today’s text features Lazarus laying on dirt, hungry, while a lounging man lavishly eats.

 

This is a story that could be used as a “clobber verse” to hurt those who have wealth. 

 

Some of us here qualify as wealthy. According to the UBS Global Wealth Report, if you have $140,000 in net assets, you’re among the world’s top 2%.

 

But we are not here to clobber anyone, but to lift up, for we know that when wealth is used wisely, it can do beautiful things.  Throughout the Gospel of Luke we see people- women, men who use their treasures for love’s reward.

 

Throughout Luke we see weakness met with mercy.

 

We see compassionate saints share so sinners can experience Heaven on earth.

 

-Simon allows Jesus to use his house to lay hands on the sick and rebuke evil.

 

-A woman with an alabaster jar who anoints the feet of Jesus, using precious ointment to bless him.

 

-Those who willingly part with their 5 loaves and 2 fish so Jesus could feed 5,000.

 

-Let us not forget the M&M sisters who opened their home to Jesus,  or the many female benefactors of Jesus, like Joanna and Susanna, who funded Christ’s ministry of mercy and comfort.

 

It's as if Luke is saying- when all is said and done, there is one thing that matters- how did we live our life for God; what are the things we joyfully, compassionately did for the Kingdom of God?

 

In conclusion, let us share a story.  A few days ago my brother was admitted to Mercy Hospital on Ballas.

 

After visiting him with a cold soda, fried chicken, and hot tater tots, I made my way to the first floor. 

 

In the hallway are plaques devoted to Catherine McAuley, a wealthy woman deeply affected by the poverty of Dublin’s women and children; dreaming about them at night.

 

Seeing her dreams as a sign, she used her inheritance to minister to the poor and hungry, opening a school, committing her life to caring for them.

 

Not giving a wit what her wealthy neighbors thought, she welcomed a steady stream of people in need.

 

Just like Mary Magdelene and the M&M Sisters, she and other women came together to serve, calling themselves the Sisters of Mercy.

 

Hower, Catherine and her crew became known as the “Walking Sisters” because they walked wherever they were needed, daily going to the streets to address needs.

 

These wonderful Walking Sisters of Mercy used their resources, finances to create, build, and form their own Heaven on Earth.

 

When Catherine McAuley had just a few hours left to live, she gathered her Sisters to say “Make sure you have a comfortable cup of tea for them when I am gone.”

 

The gift of comfort via a cup of tea, so tangible, so full of taste, became their tradition.

 

Today’s text focused on a person who had a chance to do something good, and did not.  We end with a dreamer who decided that comfort and mercy is the way to go.

 

When all is said and done- how do we live knowing that we are Citizens of Heven?  How do our treasures and our hearts measure up?

 

Do we live our life for Truth; do we live our life for God? Amen.

The Sacred Masculine; Luke 15:1-32

 

Rev. George Miller

March 23, 2025

Luke 15:1-32

 

On Friday, I had breakfast with a long-time mentor, Rev. Scott Davis, head of the Clinical Pastoral unit I took at SLUH in 2003.  He taught me how to lead and be a pastoral presence, becoming one of the men who shaped my life.

 

There’s my grandfather, life-long fisherman, World War II vet, VFW Chaplain, milkman.

 

He loved his beer and his hand rolled cigarettes.  By his living room chair sat a jar of tobacco, a jar of quarters and a jar filled with pink peppermints.

 

We’d fish for flounder in a rowboat or catch shiners while sitting on the dock.  Each visit ended with getting to take one peppermint and one quarter.

 

In 1986, he had a heart attack; doctors told him to no longer smoke or drink.  After giving it a try, he decided “If I can’t do the things I enjoy, then life’s not worth living.” 

 

He resumed enjoying his beer and cigarettes.  It’s not that Grandpa had a desire to die but he had a passion to live. 

 

I am so proud of him for that choice.  He showed what a life worth living looks like; giving an empowering glance at how to face our mortality.

 

My Dad- Vietnam Vet, Eagle Scout, New York City Cop, leader of Troop 100.

 

He drove with the window down, hand on top of the car, tapping to the beat of the music.  Watching him is how I learned to keep rhythm.

 

One day in 1976 we went to Rickel Home Center.  I’m wearing my brand-new Robin Hood hat; Dad has the window down, tapping to the music.

 

In the parking lot, a gust of wind steals my hat, blowing it all over the place.  I began to cry; I loved that hat so much.

 

My Dad, this Vietnam Vet New York cop runs around the parking lot trying to get my hat.  He stoops; the wind blows it away.  How urgent he moved; the focus it required.

 

How foolish he may have looked, trying to reach my hat as cars passed by.  My Dad did not stop, did not quit, nor did he shame me.  He took what it took to retrieve my hat. 

 

That which was lost- he found.  That’s LOVE.

 

Thank God for men like Rev. Davis, Grandpa Miller, Dad, who demonstrated what it means to be man.

 

They are why I’m comfortable in my skin and my identity; why I welcome the many ways the Bible speaks about God.

 

If you are comfortable with YOU, then you become comfortable with God being referred to as a Lion and a hen, as a father who fights for the family and a nursing mother.

 

Our text today is ripe with images of hugs and shoulders, sweeping and celebration.

 

Jesus is talking to sinners and tax collectors, Pharisees and scribes.  Since we can “read from below,” we know female benefactors and disciples are there.

 

Jesus tells 3 parables to make them think about God.  One is God as a shepherd with strong shoulders.  The second is God as a woman with a light and broom.

 

The third portrays God as a Father who is rich; like rich rich; a person of power.

 

He’s got land, servants, rings, sandals, a selection of robes; able to put on a full fiesta with a fatted calf, musicians, pretzel bites with 7 dipping sauces and margaritas of every flavor!

 

This Father is blessed with abundance, able to give away a portion of what is his and still have enough to fully live.

 

This man is Alpha Dad, yet see what he does; how he acts. The son is far away, the Father sees him.  He runs, filled with compassion, to his son, puts his arms around him, kisses him. 

 

Before the son can even finish his apology, the Dad prepares a celebration.

 

This story has a deepness of detail.  To see his son far way suggests that Dad was waiting and watching for a long time, scanning the horizon daily to spot his son.

 

The Dad is filled compassion; love within your womb.

 

This Alpha of a man, in charge of slaves and land, fields and slaughter, has been waiting for oh so long.  This Alpha of a man has a loving, deep bellied reaction to seeing his son.

 

He runs.  He runs to his son.  He runs to his child.

 

Back then, running was not something grown men did.  Running was looked down upon, seen as the act of fools or children. If folk saw you run they’d think you were daft.

 

But this Dad- he did not care.  He runs to his Son without giving a wit what anyone thinks.  And then, he embraces his son, hugs him, kisses him.

 

When the older son gets mad and refuses to engage in the fun, this Dad does not shun, shame, or discredit him.

 

He simply says “Son, you are always with me.  What I have is yours.  We celebrate because our family is restored.”

 

This man not only has enough love to welcome back a son who squandered everything, but love for the son who refuses to participate the party.

 

This image of God as Father is powerful.  It celebrates the Sacred Masculine and all the positive, powerful things that men are and can be.

 

Jesus shows a Dad whose love is big enough that he can feel compassion for his child, hugging and kissing him just as a Mother would.

 

This Dad that’s presented to the scribes and sinners, female benefactors and male disciples

 

-Is one Who knows what a life worth living is all about

 

-Knows how valuable a coin is and what money is meant for

 

-Is willing to run for their child even if they look foolish.

 

For weeks we’ve discussed women and female images of God; how good it is to also see a multi-dimensional image of  God as male.

 

This image of God as Father is one to add to our list as we continue to grow, find ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus,

 

and live the prophetic statement that “Love Grows Here.”

 

An image of God full of joy, full of love, full of patience and understanding. 

 

A God that is welcoming and embracing, rich with care and concern.

 

For that, let us say “Amen.”

 

Herod the Fox & Jesus the Mother Hen; Luke 13:1-9, 31-35

 

Rev. George Miller

March 16, 2025

Luke 13:1-9, 31-35

 

Since August, we’ve explored different images of God.

 

The one who wants to walk with us in the cool afternoon breeze or stroll with us under the stars when we can’t sleep.

 

We’ve explored the body-ness of Jesus who stands, sits, sees.

 

We discussed that in Greek “compassion” means to have a visceral feeling in your gut; in Hebrew it means to feel deep love within your womb.

 

Scripture is so rich, so sweetly ripe with images of God and Jesus that have often been overlooked or mistranslated.

 

An example is Hosea 11:4.  God says “I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love.  I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks.  I bent down to them and fed them.”

 

This image is of God as Mom.  And it is about breastfeeding.

 

BUT, this statement was too radical, too maternal that many Bibles changed it.

 

Example- King James says- “I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat upon them.”

 

An example of what happens when scripture becomes nationalized, and authorities do not want you to think of God as motherly, but as owner.

 

The Good News is this- even as different Bibles, preachers try to suppress images of God or Jesus as Mom- they exist.

 

Today is a perfect example.  Luke thrusts us into a world that is so real, so political.

 

Infrastructure that has fallen apart, killing local citizens.  Roman invaders killing people of faith, mixing their blood with an unholy sacrifice.

 

Synagogue leaders come to Jesus, warning that the head of the Roman government is out to kill him.

 

Listen to what Jesus says. 

 

“Go and tell that fox that I am too busy casting out evil and offering healing.  I’m on my way to my final destination.  My desire’s been to gather the people as a mother hen gathers her chicks.”

 

Wow- how strong, sly, and strategic Jesus is. 

 

The Religious Leaders come telling him that the Head of Government is coming to get him, and his response is “Shoo!  You have no power here.  Worry about yourself.” 

 

BAM!  Another hammer into the hands and feet of Jesus.

 

Notice just how subversive Jesus is.  He stays calm.  He states facts; what he is doing.

 

He does a play on words, referring to Herod as a fox. 

 

In different cultures, foxes had different meanings.

 

For the Greeks, foxes symbolized sly, smart, cunning.  Being called a fox could be a compliment.

 

For the Jews, foxes were no good- destructive, damaging. Calling someone a fox could be an insult.

 

Jesus could be playing a mind game- is he complimenting Herod or is he ridiculing him?

 

Jesus is being sly as a fox by referring to Herod as a fox!

 

Then, the Piece de resistance- Jesus speaks wanting to gather the people of Jerusalem as a hen gathers her brood.

 

Hens are protective of their babies.

 

A hen gathers her chicks under her wings to keep them warm when it is cold.

 

A hen gathers her children for comfort and bonding, teaching and guidance, imprinting herself upon them so they’re less afraid, know to whom they belong, and are guided on how to live.

 

A hen gathers her clan so they can find rest, nestling under her wings to drift off to sleep.

 

Finally, a mother hen will gather her chicks to shield them from predators, threats, storms and anyone or anything that tries to harm them.

 

Jesus, who is a man, God embodied in human flesh, holy and divine, states how he’s always desired to gather the people as a Mother, a Mom.

 

Jesus, human and divine articulates his desire to gather the people as a mother hen-

to keep them warm, to bond and guide, to find rest, protect.

 

Realizing how subversive Jesus is, his use of “fox” to reference Herod is brilliant. 

 

He knew Herod was a threat to the people- a predator who preyed upon the helpless, who could not be trusted, who was untrustworthy in their power.

 

This is a perfect example of just how political our faith is and how political is the time that Jesus was born, baptized, crucified and resurrected.

 

Jesus could be saying “Herod is a fox; a threat.  I am the hen, loving and protecting you.”

 

Without saying it specifically, Jesus is saying “There are two different Kingdoms at play.”

 

“There is the Kingdom of Rome in which innocent people are slaughtered and buildings fall.  And there is the Kingdom of God in which people gather under God’s wings to be loved, nurtured, kept safe, and find rest.”

 

Which Kingdom do you want to belong to?  Which Kingdom do you believe leads to the greater healing, the greater comfort, the greater care?

 

Today we have a reading that reminds us of the woes of the world, but it also reminds us of how much God loves.

 

Today’s reading reminds us how humans may want to hurt us, but the Lord- the Lord wants to love on us just like a Mother, just like a Mom.

 

How cool, how wonderful that we have Scripture that shows us so many ways to think about God, view God and relate to God.

 

How cool, how wonderful that Jesus continues to show us the way, to offer us rest. 

 

Amen and amen.

The Innkeeper and M&M Sisters; Luke 10:25-42

 

Rev. George Miller

March 9, 2025

Luke 10:25-42

 

One great lesson Eden Seminary imparted upon us students is the concept of “Reading From Below.”

 

Reading from below means to immerse yourself within a story so that you start to notice the people who are there but not mentioned or given the primary focus.

 

In doing so, when reading from below, you discover the nuisances, intricacies, and possibilities that Scripture has.

 

Today’s reading is a wealth of reading from below moments.

 

We have Jesus interacting with the community.  The disciples are there.  As we learned in Ch. 8, there are also the vivacious, audacious women who are benefactors and co-ministers-

 

This Mary Magdelene, this Joanna, this Susanna, and many others.

 

With the women and disciples present, they get to hear Jesus share a story with a lawyer. 

 

The characters in this tale include a traveler, bandits, a priest, a Levite, a Samaritan.

 

But there’s another character- the innkeeper.

 

After the Samaritan shows compassion to the traveler, he takes him to an inn and says “Take care of him.  I’ll pay you back when I return.”

 

Most times we put a spotlight on the Samaritan, but the innkeeper deserves admiration as well.  He may have a bigger role in this story than we realize.

 

Traveling was much different back then, especially if you were Jewish.  Hospitality was most important.  Offering family a place to stay, welcoming people into your home, was an honor to do.

 

Inns were often used by travelers and foreigners who had no family connection.

 

Inns were looked down upon as places of ill refute where gambling, drinking, hooking up, spending time with sex workers were assumed to take place.

 

Innkeepers may be foreigners, immigrants, non-Jews.  They could be seen as dishonest, untrustworthy, just as likely to steal as a roadside bandit.

 

Amidst the women, disciples and lawyer, Jesus tells a tale in which the Priest and Levite do not show compassion-

 

It’s the Samaritan who does and takes a chance in believing the innkeeper will care for the man.

 

…and it is the innkeeper who takes the chance that the Samaritan will come back and pay what he owes.

 

We see no act of trust from the priest or Levite, but we see worlds of trust between the Samaritan and innkeeper.

 

This is reading from below.

 

Jesus’ story does not highlight the religious leaders, but the 2 individuals in which not one but perhaps two were Gentile foreigners.

 

Nor does this story celebrate the safety of a sanctuary or a religious institution doing the right thing- but an inn, a place of vice and ill-repute, with real people doing real things.

 

Once again- bam!- another strike of the hammer into the hands and feet of Jesus.

 

Then, we have the story about the M&M Sisters.  I call them that because I refuse to put one woman before the other.

 

For how many centuries has this story been misunderstood, how many times have preachers and teachers gotten this wrong?

 

How many Bibles mistold and mistranslated this tale?

 

After talking with the Lawyer, Jesus makes his way to visit the M&M sisters.

 

This is where reading from below gets to be fun.

 

Verse 38 tells us something so important- “Martha welcomes him into HER home.”

 

Martha welcomes Jesus into her home.  Not her father’s home, not her brother’s home, not her husband’s home, not her uncle’s home, not her son’s home- HER HOME.

 

Which tells us that Martha is someone to respect, a person of power, a BOSS.

 

As Mary takes the radical stance of a student by sitting at the feet of Jesus (note the embodiment language), we’re told that Martha is distracted by her “many tasks.”

 

Scripture says “her many tasks.”  Nowhere, not once, is there any mention of where Martha is or exactly what she is doing.

 

Nowhere, not at any moment, are we told if Martha is in the kitchen making dinner, or by a washtub doing laundry, or in the main room with a broom sweeping up the dust.

 

We are simply told Martha was distracted by her many tasks- so WHO decided to put Martha in the kitchen or assume she was doing housework?

 

Who assumed that if Martha is busy, it must be cooking, cleaning, or laundry?

 

The word that is used in Greek for “tasks” is “diakonia,” the word we get “diaconate” from.

 

Diakonia usually means work related to the church, tasks that offer hope and healing.

 

Throughout the New Testament “diakonia” is used to refer to what the disciples are doing.

 

Diakonia means things like helping the sick, feeding the hungry, serving Communion.

 

But for some reason, when “diakonia” is used to refer to Martha, people assume she’s cooking a banquet for 13 men.

 

No.

 

If there is just 1 lesson I’d love for everyone here to learn is that nowhere in the original Greek scripture does it ever mention that Martha is in the kitchen.

 

Martha could be the brains behind Jesus’ entire ministry.  She could be working on Stewardship. She could be acting as a treasurer, she could be paying bills, she could be heading up Public Relations.

 

And guess what- because this is her home, and she is doing many tasks, she could be doing all these things AND making a fabulously delicious dinner as well.

 

But Martha is in no ways a harried June Cleaver with pearls and a martini waiting for her man to come home…

 

…Reading from Below.

 

What a wonderful way to engage with scripture.

 

As we continue to take this Lenten journey with Jesus towards Jerusalem, let us continue to seek out and wonder who else is present in the scriptures that we are not being told of.

 

 How does their story offer greater impact to the story of Christ and of God’s Creation?

 

The more we ask, the more we discover, and the more our faith and our love grows.

 

Amen.