Lectionary Group Week 2

I know it is early in my time here at St. Paul's, but I think that the best thing I can do for this congregation is feed myself. And I think the best way to do that is to spend time in the Word with brother and sisters who are struggling to understand it too. This group of local pastors, ministers, preachers, and priests will help a lot.

Today I am struck by what my PCUSA brother pointed out about the Hebrews reading. With his tongue planted in his cheek he said, "This is one lesson that a middle class, mainline congregation can throw away. It is too hard, there is no way we can be expected to do it, so let's forget about it. I can't afford to have my biggest tither kneel down next to someone who stinks. I can't afford to have my best church lady have to hand lemonade to someone who hasn't washed his hands in weeks." He is so very right. We can't afford to hold people to the expectations of Hebrews 13.1-8. Not because we, as pastors, are so above our congregations and can't possibly call them to change, but because we, as pastors, have such a hard time with it ourselves. Hospitality, mercy, justice, morality - they are all intertwined. When we focus on one above the other we do a disservice to the call to repentance. We are called not only to repent of our being complicit in an evil society, but also those sins which we "from time to time, most grievously have committed." And that is hard. We will piss people off. We will make people uncomfortable. We will have to change; ourselves and our congregations.

So what do you do? Well from what I could tell this morning, you preach it anyway. Be prepared for what follows, but preach the tough stuff anyway. God has high expectations. That's why Jesus came to earth, to restore those expectations. We still screw it up, but the goal is to try with all we've got, to imitate Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.