Dearest e-votees,
Our gospel text has a feisty exchange between some Pharisees and Jesus. They warn him to flee from Herod. Jesus fires back about that fox Herod and then laments the chicks that refuse to be gathered under his sheltering wings. Do you suppose we are any more willing to be gathered under Jesus' protection than those of his time?
Peace,
Karl
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31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Luke 13:31-35, NRSV
There are two dynamics that keep us from letting Jesus gather us under his wings. Either of them can be detrimental to our spiritual vitality.
Allowing Jesus to gather one of us under his wings is us owning the fact that we can't make it on our own. Our old Adams and old Eves are prideful and don't want help from anyone else. If God offers us protection than it just might mean we can't do everything we want just when we want to just the way we want it (it certainly means that). We resist. We're like little toddlers who are so sure we know what is best and most interesting and are often unaware of the hazards. We are not willing to willingly submit to God's shelter.
Allowing Jesus to gather us as a brood under his wings means that we have to tolerate being in a tight community with others. We may find all sorts of reasons to disqualify other members of God's brood from inclusion in the group (as if it was our choice). I'm pretty sure that when we get to heaven and if we are able to discern who's who there will be people who are just as surprised to see us there as we are them. I'm pretty sure that's true when we gather under Jesus' wings too. We are not willing to willingly receive others who are just as in need of God's shelter.
So Jesus leaves us to our own willful existence outside of his shelter. He leaves us until we say "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord." which could be a Palm Sunday reference and could be an end times reference. It is probably a both/and. When we get near Holy Week we might be more amenable to God sheltering us and making room for others. We start to remember that the ground around the cross is level terrain. When we get near the end of our lives and draw near to entering into a resurrected existence with God we will see things more clearly and again might be more amenable to God sheltering us and making rooms for others.
In the meantime we scurry around the barnyard--tempting fate with the foxes that lurk in this world. We can grieve God in our rebellion. We can easily lose life and limb exercising our freedom. We take some deep measure of our fate into our own two chicken feet.
God, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord." is most certainly true. Help us speak this and live the anticipation of this. Coax us under your protective wings. Give us grace and wisdom to make room for all others who might come. Thank you for finishing your work on the 3rd day. Help that gracious and painful truth always give us shelter and comfort. Amen.
Our gospel text has a feisty exchange between some Pharisees and Jesus. They warn him to flee from Herod. Jesus fires back about that fox Herod and then laments the chicks that refuse to be gathered under his sheltering wings. Do you suppose we are any more willing to be gathered under Jesus' protection than those of his time?
Peace,
Karl
------------
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
There are two dynamics that keep us from letting Jesus gather us under his wings. Either of them can be detrimental to our spiritual vitality.
Allowing Jesus to gather one of us under his wings is us owning the fact that we can't make it on our own. Our old Adams and old Eves are prideful and don't want help from anyone else. If God offers us protection than it just might mean we can't do everything we want just when we want to just the way we want it (it certainly means that). We resist. We're like little toddlers who are so sure we know what is best and most interesting and are often unaware of the hazards. We are not willing to willingly submit to God's shelter.
Allowing Jesus to gather us as a brood under his wings means that we have to tolerate being in a tight community with others. We may find all sorts of reasons to disqualify other members of God's brood from inclusion in the group (as if it was our choice). I'm pretty sure that when we get to heaven and if we are able to discern who's who there will be people who are just as surprised to see us there as we are them. I'm pretty sure that's true when we gather under Jesus' wings too. We are not willing to willingly receive others who are just as in need of God's shelter.
So Jesus leaves us to our own willful existence outside of his shelter. He leaves us until we say "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord." which could be a Palm Sunday reference and could be an end times reference. It is probably a both/and. When we get near Holy Week we might be more amenable to God sheltering us and making room for others. We start to remember that the ground around the cross is level terrain. When we get near the end of our lives and draw near to entering into a resurrected existence with God we will see things more clearly and again might be more amenable to God sheltering us and making rooms for others.
In the meantime we scurry around the barnyard--tempting fate with the foxes that lurk in this world. We can grieve God in our rebellion. We can easily lose life and limb exercising our freedom. We take some deep measure of our fate into our own two chicken feet.
God, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord." is most certainly true. Help us speak this and live the anticipation of this. Coax us under your protective wings. Give us grace and wisdom to make room for all others who might come. Thank you for finishing your work on the 3rd day. Help that gracious and painful truth always give us shelter and comfort. Amen.
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