Be Dressed for Service: A Call to Watchful Solidarity

Me: Orientation

Last week, our scripture lesson challenged us to reflect on what harmful patterns...

...or distractions God might be calling us to turn away from.

We were invited to remember that we are in unity with Christ together...

...that we are to use our gifts to raise each other up.

This week… our scripture challenges us...

...to reflect on how we can live more fully...

...into the promise of God's kingdom in our daily life.

As Methodists, we are called to develop spiritual disciplines as a means of grace.

We partake in actions that position our hearts to reflect the grace of God in our lives to others...

...and we open ourselves to receiving even more extraordinary experiences of grace from God in our lives...

...when we develop these spiritual disciplines.

One such spiritual discipline that we are called to cultivate and evaluate from time to time is our stewardship of the blessings and resources God has given us.

Sometimes, the decision on how to steward our funds can be easy.

School is about to start back up…

How many of you have recently sent in a tuition check for yourself or a loved one?

Seminary starts back up tomorrow, and I just sent them a large check for what I hope is my second-to-last semester.

While it might be easy for me where I am at in my life right now to prioritize education….

...it’s not always easy to decide on prioritization.

We: Identification

Certainly, we have all faced those moments where we had competing priorities on where to spend our resources...

For those with privilege, it can be which non-profits I choose to support in the community.

Do I vacation domestically or splurge and take the family abroad this year...

How do I balance my investment portfolio and ensure funds are invested in socially and environmentally just funds?

For those who struggle with the day-to-day necessities… prioritization faces us with…

Should I put food on the table or pursue higher education?

How many more miles can I stretch these sneakers because I need to use my extra cash to pay rent and stop the landlord from evicting me...

Do I have to get wrapped up in taking on student loan debt and worry about it later because I need to use the money I generate now to afford the astronomical cost of healthcare?

Is it more important to pay for child support or car payments to get a job to provide that child support?

Our government leaders, too, have struggled with issues of prioritization.

How do we remain fiscally responsible and care for the least of these?

Last week, I mentioned that the underlying theological theme of the economy, according to Luke, is that the rich get richer by oppressing the poor.

The task of prioritizing our values and how we steward our resources has consequences.

They have such consequences that, according to Luke, there have been systems designed by the greedy Roman Empire that keep people experiencing poverty, in that rut.

Today’s political and corporate systems often keep people trapped in poverty...

...a cycle not unlike what Amos condemned, when he spoke of those ‘trampling the needy and bringing the poor of the land to an end.’

Scripture is clear—God’s kingdom confronts these powers head-on.

This political machine that takes advantage by designing a corrupt system to keep people experiencing poverty in that state of being.

But it’s not just the government that is broken—there is corporate greed.

How many politicians come from the corporate environment and make laws that benefit their former employer?

It’s a vicious cycle of greed and exploitation to craft laws reinforcing their power while shutting out equitable opportunity.

What does Jesus have to say about this cycle of greed?

God: Illumination (Flock)

“Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights in giving you the kingdom.”

When Jesus says “little flock,” He’s not talking to the world's elite.

Not to the Roman senators.

Not to the wealthy merchants with ships on the sea.

He’s talking to a handful of working-class, landless, vulnerable people under Roman occupation.

People without military power.

People without political clout.

People who have been told their lives don’t matter as much.

And Jesus says to them that God DELIGHTS in giving them the kingdom.

That’s not just comforting.

It’s a political statement about how those who are in privileged positions...

...those who have more than enough resources...

...those charged with caring for God’s creation...

...have abused and sinned...

It’s a political statement about the sins of those who are in privileged positions and do not love God and neighbor.

The theologian Pineda-Madrid wrote about the suffering and salvation in Ciudad Juárez...

...that takes into account the tragic feminicide in Juarez as a result of systemic gendered violence marked by impunity.

Pineda-Madrid reframes the traditional notions of salvation and suffering through a theological lens that centers communal resistance, solidarity, and the possibility of hope amid profound injustice.

For Pineda-Madrid, social salvation is rooted in community.

For Pineda-Madrid, the cross and resurrection are not just about reconciling individual sinners to God...

...the cross and resurrection reveal God’s power to overturn unjust systems and bring about new forms of social life.

In other words, salvation comes through social transformation.

Our scripture today talks of social transformation.

For Jesus, God’s reign belongs first to those whom the reigns of this broken world have pushed aside.

The kingdom does not descend from the corridors of power in D.C.

The kingdom breaks through the tables of our Narthex each Sunday morning...

The kingdom breaks through the sidewalks where people gather on Friday for food...

The kingdom breaks through the clothing racks downstairs...

God: Illumination (Role Reversal)

We know this because Jesus tells us this story that turns the culture of the day upside down…

“Happy are those servants whom the master finds waiting up when he arrives.

I assure you that, when he arrives, he will dress himself to serve, seat them at the table as honored guests, and wait on them.”

This narrative is transgressive in that it disrupts a dominance-submissive mindset for that period.

No, it’s not those living as servants that are serving the Roman Emperor...

It’s the Roman Emperor who serves the people...

Can you imagine...

Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer are coming to your home to clean and cook for you.

How cool is it… that we have a God...

We have a God who humbled themselves enough to walk in solidarity with us on Earth...

We have a God who disrupts cultural norms to stand in solidarity with us...

We have a God who dresses up to serve us… us...

We have a God who delights in giving us the very best...

God: Illumination (Solidarity)

But friends...

It’s not just hope Jesus gives to those struggling with prioritizing their day-to-day needs...

It’s a call to action for those privileged to stand in solidarity with those oppressed by the injustices of our day.

Jesus says, “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps lit. Be like people waiting for their savior to come home.”

For Jesus, waiting does not mean we are passive...

It’s not sitting on our hands, saying, “One day, God will fix the dysfunction.”

For me, waiting is to be vigilant...

...ready to move, ready to protect, ready to act.

Think of the immigrants who are swept up in ICE raids all across this country—many of them making the difficult decision to leave their home country for a better and freer life.

Human rights advocates observe places all over this country providing humanitarian aid to ensure law enforcement respects immigrants' rights...

They educate immigrants and allies on their rights...

Churches come together to provide home furnishings to allow immigrants escaping brutal conditions to restart their lives...

These neighbors didn’t just hope someone else would step in—they became that someone.

That’s what watchfulness looks like in God’s kingdom:

It’s the church keeping an eye on the streets when the police harass unhoused people.

It’s Christians staying awake to signs of injustice, ready to speak up in a town hall.

It’s communities organizing so when a crisis hits, no one faces it alone.

Watchfulness, for Jesus, is solidarity.

It’s staying close enough to the pain that when God’s justice breaks through, we’re already there, lamps lit, hands ready.

To keep our lamps lit is to stand as watchpersons for justice...

...like Ezekiel’s sentinel… alert to the cries of the oppressed...

...ready to act in the spirit of Micah’s call to ‘do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

Now that we have exegeted the scripture. What can we do?

You: Application

We cultivate our spiritual disciplines...

In particular, how we steward our resources...

We examine that spiritual discipline...

Where do we spend our resources...

Are we building up personal treasure, or are we spending it to build the kingdom?

Then… we recalibrate our spiritual disciplines to align with our prayerful discernment....

Now, for those of us with discretionary income, it’d be nice if we just rebalanced where we spend our resources… wouldn’t it?

But… my friends, Jesus doesn’t write a blank check to solve the problem; Jesus walks alongside us.

We model servant leadership after the one who so loves us that they serve us an eternal meal of delight...

But it’s not always money that is the resource...

It’s not always necessary to do physical outreach.

It’s active watching… being an advocate for those without a voice...

...giving your experience of how systems have caused harm or prevented you from reaping opportunities afforded to others.

University United Methodist Church is committed to Feeding God’s People in Body, Mind, and Spirit...

There are opportunities to get involved in the Social Justice Committee to stay on top of issues… to advocate… to inform and educate others...

There are hands-on outreach opportunities to break into the kingdom through

The clothing racks in the Clothing Room.

Through the tables in our Narthax, we prepare a bagel breakfast meal.

Through the streets and sidewalks of our church, where we distribute food.

Where are you spending your time, talent, and treasure to further the kingdom of God?

If it’s not here at the University, how can we partner to create an opportunity for you?

We: Inspiration

Friends, those in power will always prioritize those policies and systems that keep themselves in power.

They believe security is found in bigger barns, accounts, and walls.

But Jesus tells us: the kingdom is God’s gift to the little flock.

Security is found in the God who sides with the vulnerable.

So keep your lamps lit.

Keep your hearts open.

And when the kingdom breaks in...

...in the middle of the night,

...in the middle of the crisis,

...in the middle of your ordinary Tuesday

be ready to say,

“We were watching.

We were waiting.

And we are ready to move.”

In the name of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.