Gratitude

³⁷And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.

Many years ago we had set up an outreach service for young people in Brisbane. For a range of reasons we were moving on to another life and the young people decided to throw a party to say farewell. They went around to the shopping centre and returned with a range of goodies. Now one young man put his contribution on the table and I was aware he had no money except his bus fare. I suspected, tightly as it turned out, that he had in old the five finger discount system to acquire his contribution.

I challenged him, and after a little encouragement he admitted he had pinched the goods. I said we have a couple of choices here, take the goods back and apologise and not put anything on the table or spend your bus money and pay for it. Now it was a wet, windy, horrible, no good very badinage of day. He had over 2 miles to walk home. He would have been soaking. Yet he decided he would pay for the goods with his bus money and get wet. His reasoning, you have helped change my life, it is what I need to do. By the way he was 12 and was on charges for being an accessory to arm robbery. There is more to that story than meets the ear.

Gratitude won the day.

Our gospel today is about gratitude. It is about what happens when our lives are broken open and we find a relationship, a community, a person who provides an anchor point in the chaos. All four people depicted in this passage have reasons to be grateful, and, at one level or another they all are. Yet it is the depth of gratitude that matters.

It seems that Jesus suggests that some people will by the nature of their case be more grateful than others. They seem to have had more to be grateful for. Their debts and their past mistakes seem to be in a greater need of recognition and forgiveness than others and therefore they are more grateful. It is obvious isn't it that a reformed alcoholic or drug addict, an excused bankrupt, a welcomed outcast will be more grateful than an ordinary person with an ordinary load of life stuff?

Yet, just perhaps, Jesus is suggesting something else, something more pertinent and challenging for those in the room who thought they could get away with a modicum of gratitude. Most of us have not committed any major 'sins', no murders, sex crimes, child abuse etc. Yes we have at times behaved a bit dodgy but really who hasn't? Therefore we are grateful for the forgiveness of God and the community of the church but we are not about to bring an alabaster jar of ointment to church.

What was the alabaster jar of ointment worth in real terms? It was Life, a fulfilled life is the answer. Such a jar of ointment signified the availability of a young lady for marriage and was given to her by her family. It was her dowry and signified her families wealth. It was Death, and could also be used to anoint bodies of loved ones as a sign of the esteem in which they were held.

This jar of an expensive ointment which is broken and therefore of no further use, is poured out in the totality of love or gratitude. This is no I'll keep some for myself and use what's left over approach to life. This is not about 'well, god knows how grateful I am and that I have worked hard and deserve to keep back some for myself, holidays, children's needs, new house etc, you know how it is. Can't be too careful.'

Next week we will be filing out our pledges, our commitment for weekly giving. It can be a challenging time. Our community is older and smaller but the needs of the wider community and the church community continues to grow. Everything from repairs and maintenance of, wage, new projects to outreach and connect and more need to be funded. In the coming months we face the loss of the ballet school, not a disaster, but a reminder that nothing lasts forever and we will need to make up for the loss of income. 

We are not to panic if we understand like the woman in the gospel that all good things come from God and that God can be relied upon to provide our needs if we demonstrate our love and gratitude through our costly giving.

Simon the Pharisee thought there was no need for more than the cursory application of the conventional rules. He fulfilled his obligations and that was enough. What this woman did was extravagance and drawing attention to herself. Unnecessary in his opinion. Give what convention decrees and keep the rest for yourself was his motto.

Giving to God demands we give to God first, the best, not the leftovers. It is the biblical principle of the first born, the lamb without blemish. And it is hard.

We live in uncertain times. We are living longer, how much money will we need? We are living in an age of adventure and rewarding ourselves with overseas holidays to places we could only dream of when we were young and had children and a mortgage etc. Coming to grips with giving as the outcome of love and gratitude for all we now have asks us to recognise the grace of God that has made all this possible, who gave us the gifts, skills and opportunities necessary to acquire what we now have. And perhaps not taking the overseas trip or extensive Australian holiday.

God does not ask us to leave ourselves destitute, that would be just as foolish and ungrateful. But we are asked to give of our life and our death, the totality of our being, as the women does and to continue to trust in the grace of God to provide for our personal needs.

The young man I referred to in the opening story walked home in the rain. I resisted the temptation to drive him. He had made a decision which had a cost and he bore the cost of getting very wet and soggy out of gratitude of the compassion Gaye and I had shown him. It has remained a powerful image watching him walk joyfully out into the rain, comfortable with himself for he had done all he could do to say thanks. Amen.

Where Do We Live?

Where do we live? Seems a silly question, the answer self-evident really. Yet again maybe it is not as simple as it first looks.

On the way to work up Frasers Drive is a sign for what I believe will be a new housing development – it’s slogan is ‘Aspire to New Heights’, it’s billboard says Altitude, and underneath is the word Aspire. A very grandiose promise for a humble housing development I would suggest, yet it says something about the world in which we live.

Ours is a world defined by what we possess, where we live, what we have achieved and where we have been. Where do you live is often the next question after what do you do in any casual social conversation. It is more than just fact finding, it is a means of identifying and defining who you are and whether you of a similar aspirational status as the one asking the question.

Our aspiratons define us. As we wander around the school we meet students whose aspirations are indeed grandiose and others more realistic and we engage in discussion about those aspirations. Encouraging, supporting and offering suggestions as appropriate. Aspirations are good and we need them but when they become unrealistic or simply inappropriate then they become a problem. Aspirations can be expectations, signs of entitlement and anything which gets in the way of that entitlement is deemed at the best negative and at the worst something to be destroyed. It is the reason why much of our society is affected by a form of depression which is best defined as disappointment because my aspirations, what I have aspired to, has failed to materialise.

Where do we live is then not a question of geographical but of attitudinal location – of where our head is at – what is important to us, how we see the world, where we stand in relation to God and others. It is about what reigns supreme in our lives This then defines what we live and strive for and how we do so.

One memorable moment in Borneo (there were many) occurred when we were walking along a bush track and were met by a wizened up, bent over toothless elderly lady. She was carrying a stick and some bags of groceries. There was nothing aspirational about her but she shone light into all of our lives as she shook hands and toothlessly smiled selemant pagi – good day. It was done with enthusiasm and sheer joy, so much so that it impacted one ach of us. Here was someone with so little in our terms who cherished the few moments of greeting in such a bountiful manner. It was unlike that which we may experience here.

At Paginatan there is a wonderful photograph of the Ring Lady standing with her hands together as I blessed the rocks for the new memorial. It is a picture of deep reverence and hope that is moving for its sheer simplicity.

For her and others that we met the mercy of God (or Allah) was such that each day was a day of abundance, of joy, of hope. There were no disappointments or a sense of entitlement, life was just life and lets enjoy it everyday. It is not a fatalistic approach to life but a life based on faith, hope and love. It is a life that is about simply getting on with what is there in front of you knowing that all that you do is hidden in the mercy of God.

Joel in his little book reminds the people of Israel that they are not in control. It is not their life. It is not about them. It is about God and he will provide all that they need and will bring in the ‘Day of the Lord” or in New Testament Terms, the kingdom of God. It is a promise of hope but also of judgement, it is not just all will be rosy but includes a need for repentance and forgiveness. And those unable to do that become the enemies of God and reap their rewards.

Paul reminds us clearly at the end of his life that living for God is about being poured out for others – a libation – a sense of complete giving not for ourselves but for others. It is a marathon race and it is to be struggled with all the way to the end. It is easy to be sidetracked and start to think about ourselves – what is in it for me? Yet there is no me in kingdom but it is the beginning of mercy. How we live is not for ourselves, how God sustains us is.

It is not about doing all the right things as the Pharisee in the Gospel reading thinks but like the tax collector it is all about the mercy of God. The Pharisee is the ultimate aspirational man. He lives in the world he has constructed for himself. It is “I-topia’ – my kingdom and he expects the rest of the world to accommodate him and his world view.

The publican is a little more realistic. He’s not a bad person, simply an ordinary garden-variety type eking out a living in the everyday and recognises his own ordinariness. His personal awareness is such that he knows he’s not the centre of the world, that he is not the sun around which all else revolves – he is simply who he is and he recognises God’s place in his world. God is the centre around which he revolves.

Where do we live? How life is defined is not by our aspirations or latitude but by our centre and our attitude. It is about what sits at our centre around which we revolve. If that centre is built on the sand of self then life can be precarious and fearful – the walls may fall at any time either by themselves or be pushed over by others, be that people or circumstance.

How do we keep our feet? By ensuring that our world is centred on the mercy and steadfastness of God.

Psalm 65 says it all and is a reminder that God is not only at the centre of our lives but of all creation and through his Son Jesus he is at the centre of his kingdom now and forever. As we share in the Eucharistic meal we are reminded in the great thanksgiving that God through his Son and then through his Spirit holds the world at all times in his hand – there is no place we can go to – physically, emotionally or spiritually – where God is not. And by participating in this meal we become God’s Kingdom in its entirety wherever we are.

Where do we live? You have to answer that for yourself and today is a good time to begin living in the centre of God.

Joel 2:23-32 Psalm 65, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18,Luke 18:9-14)

Holding Up The Mirror

Today’s Gospel reading (Luke 7:36 - 8:3) is a well known and oft heard reading. We know it all too well; the nasty Pharisee gets his comeuppance and the poor prostitute is vindicated. Once again Jesus saves the poor and downtrodden and puts the hypocrites in their place! Yay Jesus……. End of sermon and we all nod knowingly.

This scenario plays out in real life everyday, especially when we want to expose others as being worse than us. When someone is caught out in whatever manner, the media exposes it in such a way as to mark them as less tham those of us sitting on the sideline. In actual fact, we often find ourselves sitting on the couch, like the Pharisee, and saying, “I always knew they (she, he) was different to me. ” (Then, to ourselves, I am not like that)

Here we have an outsider, a prostitute whose business was such that she earned enough for expensive perfume (obviously not all the well-to-do Jews present were perfect!), she gatecrashes an invite only party (there would be no way she got an official invite given who she was).

On the couch is the Pharisee, a respectable religious and civic leader, who’s position and well-being was well earned and above reproach. Undoubtedly the other guests at the table were of a similar ilk, and regardless of their opinion of Jesus, he too was seen as a respectable, well-educated Jewish rabbi, otherwise he wouldn’t have been there.

Yet Jesus was a fool, a clown, in truth a Holy Fool – he was what he was but he was also not what he was. He saw the world through different eyes and held up to the world a mirror which said loudly and clearly, “See you self first!” He wasn’t the first nor the last such Holy Fool, the Old Testament and religious writings of other world faiths and philosophies are full of them. As are the histories of all traditions – Anglicanism has modern people such as Desmond Tutu, Catholic tradition has people like Mother Theresa, Buddhism the Dalai Lama and Thicht Nhat Hahn for example. And there are many more like them in Islam, Hinduism and other world faiths.

People who stand still, and without pointing, make their point. Our world needs to hear their stories to counteract the beigeness of thought, ideas and practice we so easily embrace from our popular media and information sources. Our world needs to hear this Gospel story again, remembering it is a foolish story, a mirror held up for all of us to see what we see in the mirror.

The Pharisee and his hospitality
The Pharisees were often found at dinner with Jesus. These dinners were normal social events for the entire community. Jewish society was and still is a communal society; the community shared their life and their table as a normal part of life. This wasn’t necessarily a way to show off, although I am sure that occurred, but it was accepted as normal to open your house to all those in your community. Although only invited guests ate, anyone was welcome to come and listen to the table conversation.

The Jews of the first century did not use tables and chair as the Persians did (cf. Esther 1:6; 7:8) and some Egyptians. Typically they would recline on their left elbow on pillows spread around horseshoe-shaped tables, usually three on a side. Uninvited guests stood around the walls behind the couches and listened to the conversation, gossiped or simply yawned as the conversation became mundane and boring.

We get a glimpse of Simon (a popular name) and his motivation for inviting Jesus when he says to himself: “If this man was a prophet”. His motivation for inviting Jesus may have been more for sport than intellectual stimulation, but he got more than he bargained for. Jesus later hints that he had noted this some time earlier, when the host had failed to provide the normal courtesies of foot washing, kiss of peace or any form of anointing. He knew he was being set up and the form of Simon’s musing shows that he did not believe Jesus was a prophet. This is a unique Greek construction which would be understood as “if this man were a prophet, which he is not, he would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching him, but he does not.” This Pharisee totally misunderstood Jesus and His motives, purposes, and actions.

The prostitute and the perfume
Somewhere on the streets the word had come down that a dinner was being held in Simon the Pharisees house and Jesus the Teacher would be present. For what ever reason this lady, described as a sinner by some and as a prostitute by others, got it into her head to be present and to do something, deemed by others to be at the very least eccentric, that would stop the conversation, although to her it seemed a natural thing to do.

She used her earnings, probably almost all of them to purchase an alabaster jar (the jar itself was significant) of perfume. She positioned herself at the back of the couch to the right of Jesus and when he was reclining his feet were right there in front of her. Impulsively perhaps, perhaps calculatingly she bent over, poured the ointment on his feet and wiped it with her hair.

Her motivation, we are not sure. It is more than showing up the Pharisee for his lack of hospitality, but that was part of it. It was more than love for a religious teacher, she saw more than that. She, in her own way, was a holy fool, providing the act which Jesus turned into an object lesson for all who were there, invited or not.

Jesus and his compassion
And then there was Jesus – deep and mystical – a true Holy Fool who grasped the opportunity when the gasping and gossiping had quietened down to tell a story, and to point Simon and his visitors toward the mirror. Did the young lady know of her sinfulness deeply or was it simply the rejection of society she felt? It doesn’t matter, for Jesus intimates that the societal view of sin was the problem and she, in a sacramental way, was showing and receiving love on their behalf.

This foolish woman stood in their place and showed what giving and receiving love was all about. And Jesus in that foolish compassion that was and is his alone, the foolish compassion which stopped the funeral bier in last Sunday’s reading, now rewards this sacramental act with love. He once again stands beside the outsiders and says directly to respectable society, ‘Here’s the mirror, have another look! What do you see now?”

Yes today’s reading is popular and well known, but it in no way a comfortable reading. It is designed, like all Jesus’ pericopes, to disturb. Mirrors usually do.