Neli ML

Proper 26. October 30, 2022 Lucas 19:1-10 Rev. Neli Miranda    As you may recall, l ast week’s parable was about a tax collector, and again, today’s gospel brings us a story about another tax collector, a sinner who found God’s favor. Remember, tax collectors, though wealthy, were among the most hated and despised social figures in Jesus’ time. Yet, Jesus broke with this practice of exclusion. He welcomed and socialized with all those despised and marginalized, and proclaimed them the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ practices of inclusion attracted the opposition of the religious leaders: And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them” (5,2). These religious leaders could not conceive that God’s grace is inclusive. Therefore, Jesus used the image of the despised, such as tax collectors, to teach that God’s grace is not exclusive to a religious group but open to all, particularly to those who live a broken life—the lo...

Proper 25. October 23, 2022 Luke 18:9-14 Rev. Neli ML   “Praised (be the Lord) that He did not make me a heathen, for all the heathens are as nothing before Him… praised be He, that He did not make me a woman, for woman is not under obligation to fulfill the law; praised by He that He did not make me ... an uneducated man, for the uneducated man is not cautious to avoid sins.” [i] This was a prayer taught by Rabbi Judah (second century C.E.) to be said every day and portrays a Jewish mentality of exclusivity amid humanity. Notice that it excludes all those who are not Jews and all women from God’s favor.   In today’s Gospel we read a similar prayer coming from a Pharisee, “ God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector…” (18:11). In the parable told by Jesus two persons, a pharisee and a tax collector, approach God in prayer. From the beginning, we are told that this parable is addressed to those w...

  Proper 23. October 9, 2022. Luke 17, 11-19 Rev. Neli Miranda Borders are intricate places where various human groups intersect and where harsh living conditions prevail. Although borders are points of transition, there are many people living there under extreme vulnerability. At the borders there are poor and sick people, migrants, and beggars; there one finds violence, prostitution, drugs, and human trafficking, among other issues. In today’s Gospel, Luke tells us that as Jesus heads toward Jerusalem, he goes through a borderland between Galilee and Samaria, which did not exist when Samaritans and Galileans were one people, the people of Israel. However, now there was division and a feeling of mutual rejection. Of course, there was no border control between Samaria and Galilea, but there was a social and religious boundary which created an uncomfortable situation for Jesus and his disciples. It was at the border, one of insecurity, vulnerability, and misery that Jesus br...

  Proper 22. October 2, 2022 Luke 17:5-10 Rev. Neli ML In the preceding verses of today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his first disciples how to be a community of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. First, he warns his disciples against causing the “little ones” to sin, that is, to keep the vulnerable, the poor, and those in need from a relationship with God. “ It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to sin,” Jesus warns his disciples (17:1). Jesus, then, teaches the disciples how to deal with offenders in the community through a process of reconciliation and forgiveness, which begins by rebuking an offender. The action of rebuking involves telling a fellow believer that he or she has done something wrong. It is expected that after being rebuked, the offender asks for forgiveness and receives it from the one who was offended. Thereafter, the community returns to peace. T...

  Betsey Moe Sermon 9.25.22 [proper 21] The Chasms Between Us   Luke 16:19-31 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.  23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but ...

  Proper 20. September 18, 2022 Luke 16:1-13 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today we read a very intriguing parable. . . through this parable Jesus speaks to us about wealth. Jesus never condemned wealth, but he did speak about the structures that allowed the accumulation of wealth in a few hands, and always taught about sharing wealth with the poor, who were most of the population in Jesus’ time. Today’s parable, with all the questions it raises, must be read in the context of the economic system in the Roman-occupied Palestine of the first century. By this time, most of the land had been expropriated from its original owners, the people, and given to local elites and Roman rulers living in Palestine. So, land was concentrated in a few hands, while most of the people had to lease land or work for landowners. In addition, although God’s law forbade it, the system allowed the landowners to charge exorbitant interest rates to amass more land and to throw peasants off their family la...

  Proper 19, September 11, 2022 Luke 15:1-10 Rev. Neli Miranda     Today´s Gospel begins saying that, A ll the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them…” This is the context where Jesus tells us three of his most beautiful parables: the found sheep, the found coin, and the parable of the loving father who welcomes his son who returns home after being lost. Today, we reflect only on the first two. In the preceding chapters Luke tells us that Jesus shared with the Pharisees who invited him for meals. They considered Jesus a Rabbi, a teacher, and it seems they held him in high esteem and considered his teachings important. They were comfortable with Jesus until they saw the venerable Rabbi sharing with the despised tax collectors and all those considered sinners . The term sinner included a broad category of people—those who behave...