Proper 17b 2024; 1 Sept
Song of Songs 2:8-13; Ps. 45:1-2, 7-10
James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Jack Hardaway
SHAMELESS DELIGHT
I once got a post card in the mail.
It was in my handwriting, written by me, and addressed to me.
The note simply said, “Enjoy doing the dishes.”
The thing about it is that I had no memory of writing that note and mailing it.
“Enjoy doing the dishes.”
It was strange.
Well, life went on and a year or so later another priest asked me did I get a note from myself?
Turns out she sent it to me.
Many years before we were at a conference and one of the activities was to write a note to ourselves and give it to someone else to send.
Well she forgot to send it, and years later found it in her pocket book, said oops and put it in the mail.
But she didn’t tell me that at first, she simply said it was a note from, “Future Jack.”
Apparently people like to mess with me, I just bring it out.
I still have no memory of writing that note or what I was thinking when I wrote it.
Enjoy doing the dishes.
I do kind of like washing dishes.
I didn’t used to.
I think Jesus got tired of washing dishes.
Washing hands, and cups and pots and bronze kettles.
We’ve gotten distracted by the outward appearance of things.
Cleaning the surface.
Clean the inside, cleans our hearts, cleans where our thoughts and words and actions come from, Jesus bids us attend to our inner nature.
That is what makes us unclean, how we treat people. How we treat people comes from inside.
We read Jesus’ gospel message and after that we are left wondering “what is in my heart?” “ How do I treat others?” “Have I made myself unclean?”
This list of vices that Jesus gives us, they are all the same thing, they each use and abuse other people.
I think they reveal something about what God is like, the opposite of adultery, the opposite of sex trafficking, the opposite of greed and lies and devouring the lives of others, the opposite of a dirty look, of slander, of arrogance of abuse of all kinds.
The opposite of vice isn’t virtue, the opposite of vice is love, to be in love, to live with shameless love and adoration of others.
Instead of the evil eye and the dirty look we behold and adore without shame.
God is like that, full of shameless adoration, extravagant love, embarrassing enthusiasm about humanity.
Jesus is that.
Jesus is God’s shameless adoration of humanity.
How do I change my heart?
How do I no longer use and abuse others for my advantage?
How do I enjoy washing the dishes of my heart?
The Song of Songs, this is the one day we hear it in the three year Sunday lectionary.
God as lover.
The one who adores and pursues us, who desires and finds pleasure and joy in being with humanity.
To look upon Jesus with that same love, how do I that? By loving others in the same way.
Faith is different when seen that way.
It isn’t about getting it right so that God will like me.
Faith is about falling in love with Jesus.
That is what changes our hearts.
Doing dishes for others, because they are a delight.
That is faith.
Write a note and send it to your future self.
Enjoy doing the dishes.