Scripture Readings:  Isaiah 28:14-22,   Psalm 46,   Hebrews 12:18 – 19, 22 – 29;   Luke 13:22-30

Collect:  Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today’s lessons were initially hard for me to get my brain around.  They seem to be counter to what we want to hear and we have trouble with placing them into our lives.  At least they started that way for me this week as I studied them.  But after reading multiple translations, paraphrases and commentaries I have finally come to a place where I think I understand the message.

In the first reading from Isaiah we have the prophet scolding the political leaders of the day.  One commentary suggests that the leaders had made a pact with Egypt instead of putting their trust is God.  Isaiah tells the leaders that their pacts with anyone other than God are a pact with death itself.  He tells them that God is laying a corner stone in Zion that is placed with justice and truth.  The foundation laid by god is strong and if we build our lives on the foundation of truth and righteousness and trust in God we will be sure to live.  There is no way that anyone can trust in worldly pacts and live.  It is only through our trust in God will we be saved from certain death and calamity according to the prophet.  So what does this have to do with us?  Surely we trust in God or we would not be here today right?  But do we really? 

When I read the passage from Isaiah in “The Message”, the biblical paraphrase by Eugene H. Peterson, it made me question my trust.  The Message has this to say about what we build that is not on God’s foundation of truth and righteousness “A hailstorm will knock down the shantytown of lies, and a flash flood will wash the rubble.  Then you will see that your precious life insurance policy wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.”.   For me this really did bring the reading home.  How many times do we say we trust in God but then go forward to “buttress things up” with earthly things.  We tend to be a kind of “belt and suspenders” people.  It is ok to trust in God but I’m going to get an insurance policy “just in case”.  No don’t get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with getting insurance against earthquakes floods and fire to protect our earthly possessions.  It is when we expect these things to take care of us spiritually that we are in trouble!  For spiritual matters forget the insurance man down the block and stick with God.

In the reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews we have Paul reminding the people that they have come to a place that they cannot touch.  They have not come to an earthly kingdom but they have come to that kingdom built on the foundation set in justice and truth.  Paul reminds the people that this foundation laid in truth was brought to fruition through Jesus.  That through Jesus we can enter the holy temple and feast with the Angles and the firstborn.  We hear the echoes of the prophet Isaiah and reminders of our past failures to listen to God and to act.   We are reminded that when God spoke in the old testament in fire and earthquakes the people were frightened but soon went their way and did not follow or put their trust in God.  We are reminded that God, in the person of Jesus, also told us to put our trust in God.  This personal invitation must not be forgotten. Again, no insurance policy will protect us.  God will shake the earth to the very foundations of creation.  If we only trust in ourselves we will be shaken and consumed.  If, however, we believe in God and hear the message of Jesus we will be acceptable. Tough stuff.  But it gets worse…or is it better…

Now we come to the Gospel reading. When Jesus was asked “will only a few be saved?” we get an answer we do not want to hear!  We are told to Strive to enter through the narrow door “for many will try to enter and will not be able”. Jesus goes on to say that those standing on the outside will say that surely there is a mistake.  After all they know Jesus, the householder, and he surely will let them in.  But Jesus says just to stand and listen to him and to be near to him is not enough.  No.  The very ones that his listeners would put in the front of the line to get into the kingdom are not the ones who will enter first.  What is all this about?

For some of the people around Jesus they were convinced that there were THINGS that they had to do to enter Heaven.  For some of these devout religious people it was almost like they had a checklist.  If all of the boxes are checked you go to the head of the line.  Simple.  Right?  No not so simple.  Jesus tells us that we cannot get into heaven by anything that we do.  If we are open to the Love of God and give that Love back we will make it to the heavenly banquet.  Jesus is trying to tell those listening to Him that the people who they do not think are checking off the right boxes and worshipping the right ways are following the right path.  They may not have the rituals down and they may not have led spotless lives but they have put their trust in God.  It is this group that will be first.  The very ones that many of the devout in the region were sure would be last, or not make it at all!  He also tells his listeners that people from east, west, north and south will get in.  Once again this is upsetting to the Jewish devout because he is telling them, in no uncertain terms, that even Gentiles can get into the Kingdom of God.  What does this mean for us?  Are we going to make it through the narrow door?  And just where is this door?

When I was thinking about the readings it occurred to me that one way to look at the narrow door is not as an external door that we have to get through but as a door within ourselves that we have to let God in through.  This door is of our own making.  And it is of a variable width for most of us.  But I do think that most of us have a door.  It is that place where we let God come into our lives with his Love.  It is also the place where we close God out of our lives or narrow down the time and place for God to just certain times and places.  I think that we try to constrain God too much.  It is just too scary for us to let God in.  We are afraid that if we truly let God into our lives we will be changed.  We will be asked to do radical new things that we don’t want to do.  We are not comfortable with change.

The doors can be physical doors too.  It was scary for some of us when we opened up the J street entrance to the church.  We wanted insurances that it would be safe.  We wanted to know who would come through the door.  As we talk about opening St. Paul’s up to the community we still are asking for insurances.  We are still asking who will come through the door.  Will they be safe?  Will we be safe?  We too, like the people of the Old Testament want to set up insurance policies.  We want to be safe.  This is understandable but God said to trust.  We can set up reasonable precautions. To not be foolish with our resources and lives but in the end we have to answer the call of God in Christ and open our doors.  We must embrace our baptismal ordinations and minister to all of Gods people.  We must open all of our doors.  Both the physical doors and the doors to our hearts and minds and share our ministries with the world.  Let the world know by our actions and love that there is a relevant accepting message that we have to give.  The message, with its foundation in truth and righteousness has not changed. This message of love and trust Verna Dozier refers to as “The Dream of God”.  The problem is we keep rejecting the Dream and go on our own way.  We must change, let God in and let it shine out from us.  We must believe in God’s Dream.

God keeps trying to get our attention.  God tried getting the attention of the Old Testament people by being a big, loud, unapproachable God to all but a few of the prophets.  That didn’t work for many of the people.  They where afraid and bowed down to him but eventually many of them went their way, as they were free to do.  So God tried again.  Only this time he came among us himself.  Wholly accessible to the people.  The message didn’t change much just the form of the messenger.   Jesus walked, lived and taught among the people.  The message is still trust in God and love one another. The radical part of the message is that there are not THINGS we have to do for us to be saved.  We already are.  Jesus did it all for us.  We just have to let him in the door to our hearts and souls.

I invite you this week to look for the places in your lives where you have narrowed the door through which God is expected to enter.  See if there are ways we can expand the door, to let God into our lives and to live our lives with love and trust.

Amen.