SEVENTH PENTECOST

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

I WOULD LIKE TO START
BY SHARING A FEW STORIES WITH YOU
AND THEN TRY TO MAKE THEM RELEVANT
TO TODAY'S READINGS

IN ANCIENT ROME
AND IN OTHER CAPITAL CITIES
AROUND THE TIME THAT JESUS LIVED
WHEN A RULER WAS VICTORIOUS IN BATTLE
THEY WOULD RAISE A MONUMENT TO HIM.
ON IT THE RULER WAS OFTEN SHOWN
RIDING A MAGNIFICENT PRANCING HORSE.
BEHIND HIM WALKED HIS PRISONERS OF WAR,
ALWAYS CHAINED
SOMETIMES BY THE NECK.

THE POSE OF THE RULER WAS PROUD
AND ARROGANT,
THE POSE OF THE CAPTIVES
WAS ONE OF NO HOPE

WHEN I WAS COURTING MY WIFE BARBARA
I TOOK HER TO HER FIRST
THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE.
SHE WAS EXCITED AS A YOUNG CHILD
WHICH THOSE OF YOU
WHO KNOW HER
IS NO SURPRISE
YOU KNOW THAT SHE INTENSELY LOVES
AND LIVES LIFE.

THE PARADE HAD ALL THE NORMAL THINGS
THE BANDS, THE FLOATS, THE CLOWNS
ALL OF WHICH SHE ENJOYED
WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM.

AT THE END OF THE PARADE
SANTA CLAUS CAME BY
ON A MAGNIFICENT FLOAT
WITH ELVES, REINDEERS AND SLEIGH.
SANTA WAVED TO THE CROWD FIRST ONE SIDE
THEN THE OTHER.
AS HE PASSED US


BARBARA
GRABBED MY ARM
IN A DEATH GRIP
YELLING OUT LOUD
HE LOOKED AT ME
HE LOOKED AT ME
HE LOOKED AT ME PERSONALLY.

WHEN I WAS STILL WORKING IN INDUSTRY
EVERY SATURDAY WE WORKED,
DONUTS WERE BROUGHT IN.
ONE FOR EACH.

DURING THOSE TIMES
WHEN I WAS ACTIVELY BATTLING
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE.
I WOULD GO UP TO THE DONUT
AT 8 O'CLOCK AND SAY
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT NINE O'CLOCK
THE DONUT CALLED TO ME
BECAUSE IT HAD MY NAME ON IT
AND I SAID TO IT
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT TEN
AND ELEVEN O'CLOCK
IT CALLED ME
AND I TOLD IT
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.






AT TWELVE O'CLOCK
IT WAS PRACTICALLY CRYING,
IT WAS LONELY,
IT HAD MY NAME ON IT.
BUT I STRUGGLED AND RESISTED
AND SAID
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT ONE O'CLOCK,
THE TRUTH BE TOLD.
I ATE THE DONUT

LET US LOOK AT PAUL
IN OUR SECOND READING
FROM ROMANS
WHERE HE SAYS.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do
I do not do,
But what I hate to do
I do.
For I have the desire
To do what is good,
But I cannot carry it out.
For what I do
Is not the good
I want to do;
No,
The evil I do not want to do-
This I keep on doing.
For I see another law at work
In the members of my body,
Waging war against the law of my mind,
And making me a prisoner,
Of the law of sin,
At work within body.
What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?

NOW PAUL IS A GREAT THEOLOGIAN
BUT HE GETS COMPLICATED
AND I MUST CONFESS
HE OFTEN CURES ME OF INSOMNIA.

HE COULD COMPLICATE A ONE CAR FUNERAL

TO MY SIMPLE WAY OF THINKING
PAUL COULD HAVE SAID
I ATE THE DONUT
AND I WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD.

BASICALLY WHAT PAUL IS SAYING
IS THAT WE ARE ALL FLAWED INDIVIDUALS.
AND WHEN WE CRY OUT
WHO WILL RESCUE ME,
WE KNOWS THE ANSWER.
IT IS JESUS CHRIST

WHO IS THIS JESUS
THAT PAUL TRUSTS SO IMPLICITLY
LET US LOOK AT OUR GOSPEL MESSAGE
WHERE MATTHEW WRITES
THAT JESUS SAID TO THE CROWD
I COMPARE YOU
TO A GROUP OF CHILDREN SINGING SILLY SONGS

WE PLAYED THE FLUTE
YOU WOULD NOT DANCE,
WE WAILED
YOU WOULD NOT MOURN
IS THIS NOT A SONG
WE OFTEN SING TO JESUS
IF YOU WERE MORE
LIKE WE WANTED YOU TO BE
WE COULD FOLLOW YOU WITH EASE
BUT YOUR WAY
MEANS GIVING UP DONUTS
AND WE DON'T WANT TO

JOHN LIVED
LIKE A HERMIT IN THE DESERT
WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT



JESUS LIVED AN ORDINARY LIFE
AMONG SINNERS
WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT

AND SO WE SING OUR SILLY SONG IN A CIRCLE
UNTIL WE ARE DISTRACTED
BY THE SOUNDS OF A PARADE IN THE DISTANCE.
WE HEAR THE HURRAHS,
THE SINGING, THE JOYFUL SHOUTS
AND WE WAIT FOR THE PROUD RULER TO COME BY
FOLLOWED BY HIS SLAVES
BUT INSTEAD WE ARE GREETED
AS ZECHARIAH SAYS
BY THE SIGHT
OF A MAN RIDING A DONKEY
FOLLOWED BY LAUGHING SINGING CHILDREN
WE CRY STOP THE CHILDREN FROM SINGING
THIS IS NO VICTORIOUS RULER
THIS CARICATURE

WE DO NOT SEE A KING
ARROGANT AND SUPERIOR
RATHER WE FIND A PERSON GENTLE AND HUMBLE
RIDING ON A DONKEY
WHERE IS HIS WAR HORSE
WHERE IS THE MOUNT SUITABLE FOR A KING
WHO..WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM
THIS POOR EXCUSE FOR A RULER
THIS FLAWED PICTURE OF A RULER
WHO..WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM

BUT AS HE COMES PASSING BY
HE LOOKS EACH ONE OF US IN THE EYE
AND SAYS
COME, COME FOLLOW ME
DROP DROP YOUR CHAINS OF SLAVERY AND SIN
COME, COME FOLLOW ME
FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT

COME, COME FOLLOW ME
WITH ME IS FORGIVENESS FOR YOUR SINS
WITH ME IS A SAVIOR WHO KNOWS
AND DELIGHTS IN YOUR HUMANNESS



COME, COME FOLLOW
LAY DOWN YOUR HEAVY BURDENS

COME, COME FOLLOW ME
AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
SHALL WE JOIN THE PARADE
SHALL WE SAY AMEN