20th Sunday after Pentecost

Did you hear the collect for today?
That’s the prayer that the priest says right before the reading of the lessons.
A collect is a prayer that “collects” the thoughts.

It comes at the end of other prayers:
Or in the case of the “collect for the day”
It collects the intentions for the day together.

Today’s collect addresses God saying:
“God, who art always more ready to hear:
than we to pray.”

It’s SO insightful.
God is always more ready to hear:
Than we are to pray.

But what does that have to do with the rest of our lessons for today?
Especially in our gospel reading today:
Which has two (somewhat) separate teachings.

An uncomfortable teaching against divorce:
And a rather comforting teaching on the welcome of little children.

And we might feel this tension:
The uncomfortable and the comforting.

At first glance:
It appears that there’s not much commonality with these two teachings.
But I think there is.
I think Jesus’ concern here is on valuing community:
Valuing our need to be in relationship:
And valuing our need to be healed.

And for all of that:
We need God’s help.

Jesus: always more ready to hear:
Than we are to pray.

So first:
Let me address Jesus’ welcome of children.
I mentioned last week that this isn’t some sweet adorable story that we’ve come
to expect.
There are real actual implications of this teaching from Jesus.
It’s a SHOCKING:
Counter cultural assertion that God’s kingdom belongs to it’s weakest members.

It’s an assertion that even children have something important and meaningful to
both say and to offer.

So maybe: We should listen to them….
To CHILDREN:
Because, we:
Unlike God: who’s ALWAYS more ready to hear:

We are often: quicker to speak:
Than to hear….
Sometimes quicker to judge…
Than listen…
Sometimes quicker to fix…..
Than to pray….

Jesus urges us to listen:
With open and welcoming hearts.

Jesus urges us to be willing to hear:
To learn:
To grow:
And sometimes even change because of what we have seen, heard, and
witnessed.

Too often:

Our world and society:
Revolves around fixing, judging, taking control:
And normalizing the “breaking of relationships”

Our culture teaches us to turn others away:
Especially others who think differently than us.

But here’s Jesus:
Our gospel tells us that he was INDIGNANT:
Toward the disciples who spoke sternly to the children:
Turning them away.

And at the SAME TIME:
Jesus continues to welcome his disciples:
Just as he welcomes the little children.

And this, too: is our task.
But a hard and complicated task it is.

Because, as humans we are prone to break relationships:
We are prone to be quick to anger:
Prone to be quick to judge.

And in today’s world of fast paced news:

Social Media:
And instant declaration of our beliefs and political viewpoints:
We are more prone than ever to broken relationships.

We are more prone than ever to hurt one another through our words:
And Jesus knew this.

Jesus KNEW how easy it is for us to break relationships:
To refuse healing:
To refuse forgiving:
To refuse to listen to one another.

But Jesus names this brokenness:
And STILL, at the same time, He willingly associates with us:
the broken:
The hurting and the vulnerable of all kinds:
Including children,
The divorced,
And the unjustly wronged.

And as the Letter to the Hebrews says:
Even in our brokenness:
“Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.”
Even in our brokenness: God is ALWAYS more ready to hear:

Than we are to pray.

DESPITE our brokenness:
DESPITE our broken relationships:
“Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.”

How can we, too, live unashamed:
Unashamed to call one another brothers and sisters?
Whether we agree or disagree?
Even if we have been hurt or wronged?

Jesus’ teaching on divorce is not merely about divorce.
Marriage is just ONE place where humans have the OPPORTUNITY to live out their
baptisms:
To serve God and God’s people in meaningful relationship:
To Serve:
To listen:
To speak truth:
But to speak it with compassion.

Jesus is talking about more than divorce:
He’s talking about ALL our relationships.
And ALL relationship failures are hurtful tragedies:
Spaces of unrealized hopes:
Whether its friend and friend,

Husband and wife,
Child and parent…

Because our relationships are meant to be the places where we live out God’s
mission:
Where we live out the Good News:
Where we honor the Creators image in ourselves,
And in each other.

God has given us the gift of community:
The gift of being together.

And this gift is one that humanity longs for:
That humanity desperately needs.
And we have to accept this gift.
We have to say YES: to this gift of being together in relationship and community.

And let me be clear:
To be in community with each other:
Does not mean that we need to agree on everything.
(Do a husband and wife ever agree on EVERYTHING?)

When we’re striving to be in relationship with one another:
We do not need to agree.
But we do need to listen to each other:

And we need to find those places:
Where we can be unashamed to call one another brothers and sisters.
Whether we’re in crisis, or in blessed joy.

And if that’s not enough:
May we remind ourselves that God is ALWAYS more ready to hear:
Than we are to pray….
Even in our brokenness:
Even in our failures:
Jesus is not ashamed, to call us brothers and sisters:
And may we strive for the same:
To pray,
To hear,
And to Listen.

Amen.