The Unfaithful Steward meets Billy Budd, Pentecost XV, Proper 20, 22 September 2019

Preaching at Saint Mark's Church
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 20
22 September 2019

“Choices”

Amos 8:4-7

Psalm 113

I Timothy 2:1-7

St. Luke 16:1-13

INI

The comparisons of Billy Budd

Tuesday evening, I sent to see Benjamin Brittan’s excellent opera, Billy Budd. Its initial import to me was seeing for the first time in my life the sexual ambiguity and confusion of John Claggart, the Master-at-arms who suppresses his own (with what I saw as) latent homosexuality in violence and repression aimed at other young men on the ship. Specifically, he frames the “handsome and good” Billy Budd. 

On further reflection and needing to wrest a sermon out of Jesus’ difficult parable about the “Unjust Steward” I began to see the opera as a good comparison with the complexities of the parable. Both are filled with men we admire and at the same time despise. In both there are interior conversations aimed at solving the moral questions that are posed for, in the parable, the steward, the rich owner, and the listener. In the opera it is Captain Veer of the HMS Indomitable who struggles between what he understands to be justice, and that which society and the law demand of him. We sit in the middle of this dilemma and wonder how to come to a proper resolution. Jesus intersperses two soto voce interjections in the parable that can, perhaps, help us to find a righteous compass in it. 

For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. (Luke 16:8b)

We are, all of us, “children of this world”. One only needs to go to the movies every now and then to discover oneself rooting for the “bad guy”. In the recent film “The Favourite” I wanted Abigale, the maid to Lady Marlborough, and later to Queen Anne, I wanted her to win – to prevail over what I saw as the evil behavior of Sarah Marlborough. She does prevail, but when her equally perverse attitude is revealed I didn’t feel betrayed, I felt sorrow at its revelation. Both women, Sarah and Abigail were children of this world, scheming to be successful and influential. We, however, are here to become the children of light. How do we operate in this world of scheming and shrewd people? When is it in business or in life that we are suddenly confronted by a moral choice that invites us to come into the Kingdom of Light? What stays our step in these instances are what motivated the characters of the opera, the film, and the parable. It is what others will think of us that gives us pause.

It is that consideration that informs the unfaithful steward as to what he must do, and it is that attitude that commends itself to the rich owner. The steward buys a reputation with the debtors of the master. He will be remembered as the one who reduced a debt, who alleviated the dire circumstances of those who owed great sums to the rich owner. Indeed, the owner as well, will be an heir to the reputation of the steward, for he will be seen as gracious and giving. But is this really the Kingdom of Heaven?

Amos paints the situation in darker tones when he charges the people of his time with unkind intentions toward others. Seemingly faithful to God, they wonder when the new moon will be over so that they might sell grain, or the Sabbath be over so that they can sell. Remember the Blue Laws which restricted what you could buy and sell on Sundays? Ostensibly this was a tip of the hat to the God we worship on Sunday, but what was its real motive? That is the heart of the matter and that is what God sees. The wisdom of the marketplace may not be a reasonable place for the children of light. 

No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

It is wealth that gets Billy Budd into trouble. The Master-at-arms connects the beautiful and righteous Billy with a cache of French gold, gold supposedly used to buy the affections of other seamen, and allegiance to the enemy, the French. It is this association that gives the Commander pause. Knowing his own attraction to wealth and status, he surmises that others would be tempted as well – as well as Billy. 

Who are the masters in your life? Is it your job, your family, your social status, your friendships, your financial security? Jesus wants us to choose only one. He wants clarity on our part as to whom we will be faithful. For the children of light, the choice is between faithfulness and dishonesty – and the choice must be faithfulness. This is the choice for Captain Vere – faithfulness to the law or faithfulness to what Christ would ask of him. The same holds true for the steward, faithfulness to his master, or to himself. Vere chooses the law, which forces him to order the execution of the good, beautiful, righteous Billy Budd. It forces the steward to bilk his master. The world looks un the two and approves.

Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings.

Paul is advising his young friend and compatriot Timothy. How does one live in the world, and yet attempt to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Light? How does one make proper choices in this world? Our time seems so approving of those who follow the behavior of the unjust steward. These attitudes and behaviors are the acceptable methods for maintaining a life in our world. Paul proposes something that intervenes, not only with ourselves, but the others in our world who strive for success and social status. His advice to Timothy is simple – it is a commendation for prayer. 

“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.”

It cannot be like the prayer in James, was an ineffective response to someone in need:

“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well.” 

The words of prayer need to be accompanied by action, by feeding and caregiving. The prayers and supplications we make for ourselves, our leaders, our neighbors – these likewise need to be accompanied by the actions of the Children of Light. On Friday of this week the Children of this World taught us what we ought to be as Children of Light. All over th world they walked and taught us about Climate Change and what it means to be faithful stewards of the earth – the gift of our Creator. Some in the world would have the economy and greed be the master, but these young people are arguing otherwise. So then, who shall be our master? Who shall be our neighbor? What shall our choices be?

SDG

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18, 8 September 2019

Preaching at All Saint’s Church, San Francisco

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18

8 September 2019

“First Things”

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Psalm 1

Philemon 1-21

St. Luke 14:25-33

INI

The Household

My sister Bonnie has delved deeply into understanding our family’s genealogy. She has gotten it back into the sixteenth century. Inspired by her efforts I finally submitted swabs of my saliva to a genetics firm to see what it might tell me about my origins. The most astounding parts were the results of looking at my father and mother’s DNA. Mom’s DNA originated in somewhere in the Saudi Arabian desert millennia ago, and my father’s in the Levant in modern day Syria. That these elements should have finally shown up in Kansas and Colorado, and in my case Los Angeles, California is astounding. What lies behind such a quest? It is, I think, an attempt to understand who and what we are, and our relationship to the ages. It is, in a way, establishing a household, or as the Romans would say, a “domus” a household that included many relationships. It is this idea that is the thematic glue in our readings for today.

In the Gospel for today Jesus says something quite startling – something that needs exploration and explanation. 

"Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”

What can he be saying to us here? That is the question for the morning, and we can begin finding an answer by looking at the readings. 

The Household of Faith – the Covenant

In the first reading from Deuteronomy we have one of several instances in which either Moses or Joshua gather Israel together to rehearse the covenant that they have made with God. These two prophets gather the people together to reconstitute the Household of Faith. In the ancient near east, treaties between countries, between households, or between individuals were always accompanied by “blessings and curses.” You’ll see the same thing in the contractual language that accompanies your purchase of a dryer from Sears. If you make the payments, the blessings of ownership will be conferred upon you. If you don’t make the payments, the curses of repossession will be conferred upon you. In this reading, the same thing is offered. “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.” It is this relationship with God that is desired. It is being in the household, the domusof God, the chosen of God. That relationship will be described later by Jesus as the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven; more about that later.

Who is in the Household?

Paul, in the second reading, wrestles with a difficult situation. His friend’s slave, Onesimus, has left the household of Philemon and has joined up with Paul. In the Roman empire, Paul as a citizen would be constrained to return the property of Philemon, Onesimus the slave. Paul is caught between a rock and a hard place. Social custom and law would require the return of the man. That Paul acknowledges. His religious convictions, however, remind him that in Deuteronomy the following is expected of him as a Jew, “You shall not hand over to their master any slaves who have taken refuge with you from their master.” What shall constrain Paul, the customs of the household in Rome, or the requirements of the household of faith in Israel?

It’s amazing to me that this dilemma has not struck our consciousness with greater force; that we don’t realize how we yet enslave others, if not our own selves. Paul leaves the choice up to his friend. Can we leave that choice up to those who enslave in our time? I think not. Though there were often slaves in the ancient households of Paul and Jesus’ time, there cannot be the same allowance in our time. Paul saw the only slavery possible is that deep connection to service in Christ. Again, it is about relationship. He recognizes his friendship with Philemon that allows him the critical voice that the situation deserves. There is, however, another relationship that affects Paul, “I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.”Paul’s relationship with Onesimus is more than one of utility or practicality. It is a relationship born in the love of Christ. So, it must be with us as we look at those who pick our crops, sew our clothing, cook our food, build our homes. They are, all of them, in the household of faith.

The Household – the Family

A couple of Sunday’s ago, in the Gospel, Jesus advises us of the necessity to be perceptive, to be aware, and to see our times for what they are. Such demands are meant to help us see what Jesus’ really wants us to perceive. That is the Kingdom of God. Both he and John the Baptist alerted their audiences to its coming, pled with them to be aware of its presence, and of its importance. When we were either taken to the Font, or walked there on our own, we were brought into the Kingdom. Now, even after all the years that have gone by since the water splashed us into the Household of Faith, even now we must learn again the cost of following Jesus. 

Jesus’ words about the family startle us. Jesus doesn’t ask us to repent of these relationships – he says we must “hate” them. The relationship that we must love is the one that is known in the Kingdom of God. What we are asked to do here is to detach ourselves from those relationships that society demands of us, and to see them really rooted in the Kingdom, in the Household of Faith. 

When we look at the truly rich, the 1%, we look at a people who truly do look at the times and seasons for the benefit of their household. The poor plan for tomorrow. The middle-class plan for a generation or two.The truly rich, however, plan and focus on many generations in the future, so that they might continue to have the good fortune that those living in this time have enjoyed. That focus does not describe the Household of Faith that Jesus desires. First, there is the vision of God, and the love of God. Then there is the love of and concern for our neighbor – just as we love ourselves – just as we must love ourselves. The cost of such an endeavor is that we turn our gaze from that which we desire, to that which is necessary for our salvation and for our inclusion in the Family, the Household of Faith, the Kingdom of God. There are consequences for such a relationship – we need to be clear about that. The consequences, however, make for a better present not only for ourselves, but for all who are bound to God in Christ. 

The best way to see it is in this story which Luke records in his eighth chapter. Jesus is teaching, and then there is an interruption. 

“Then his mother and his brothers^* came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

Matthew puts it even more succinctly, 

“While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him.[Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.”]^*But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Now then, my friends, my family, what shall we do now? What are truly our first things?

SDG