A Sermon for June 29, 2025

As preached at St George's Anglican Church, Place du Canada on June 29th, 2025.

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14, Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20, Galatians 5:1, 13-25, Luke 9:51-62

Let us Pray: In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When Jesus had set his face towards Jerusalem, he passed through a village and that village rejected him.

The village in question was a Samaritan village. What do you think of when you hear the word Samaritan? Do you think of the Samaritan woman, the woman at the well? The one that Jesus defied social customs to talk with. Do you think of the Good Samaritan, from Jesus’ parable who helped the man who lay beaten and robbed on the side of the road, when no one else would?

What do you know about Samaritans as a people? Do you know for instance, that they believed in one God like we do- that they used the same word - the same name - to talk about God as the followers of Jesus did? Did you know that they put their trust and faith in the Torah? The first five books of the Bible as we know it, meaning that they didn’t accept the Tanakh, the prophets and the writings, as scripture. Meaning that all the times Jesus quoted Isaiah would not have felt like the fulfilling of the law but rather like blasphemy.

Did you know that they believed that Mount Gerizim was the holy mountain where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac, making it the most sacred place - the place of the covenant - rather than Mount Moriah - or the Temple mound as most of us know it today.

Jesus knew those things about the Samaritans. He knew how his followers perceived them. Yet, when he had set his face toward Jerusalem, he passed through a village of Samaritans.

And this time, they reject Him.

Surely, someone saw this coming. Surely, the disciples knew that this was coming. Surely, Jesus knew.

But, they went that way anyway.

If we are reading faithfully, if we are attentively dancing with the Gospel and letting it lead - this incident is no accident.

Early on in my ministry I had a powerful experience. I was preaching at a church located in a very interesting neighbourhood. The community around the church was primarily made up of newcomers to Canada and military families as the church was close an army base and the church itself shared a parking lot with both a seniors residence and a major transit hub.

It was summer and the congregation was a little smaller than usual but everything went by as it normally did. At the end of the service a man - a tall man - came up to me with a lot of energy,

“How can you do this?” this man asked me.

Now, having been to a conservative Evangelical Seminary, I was certain he was asking how I - a young woman - felt it was appropriate to be teaching, preaching, and wearing a collar.

I was prepared to explain my understanding of my own existence - to justify it.

and then - something unexpected happened - instead of berating me, all sorts of compliments come out from this man. It was the furthest thing from what I was expecting. I’m not sure I deserved the accolades he laid at my feet.

Then he goes on to tell me that back home in Kenya his father was a priest. And that he knew from a very very young age that he would be too. He loves God and he loves the church but, he always had a reason not to follow his calling. “Oh Lord, I will go to seminary but, first I will become an Engineer and provide well for my family.”

So he did. And after a few years of working, when the opportunity to become a priest, when the call on his heart, came back, it was “Father of all, I will go to seminary, I will become a priest, but first I am going to bring my family to Canada. We will emigrate and build a beautiful life there and then I will do it. I will serve you then.”

So he did.

“But, now” he said. “Now it feels like it is too late. And I come to church and I see you. You could have done anything and you chose to do this.”

I remember saying to him. “there are many ways to serve God. And if word and sacrament are still your calling, it is not too late. But, to be a Christian in the world is a very high calling as well.

I do not know where that man ended up. I don’t know if he is a priest now - or if he remains an engineer and a loving father who is actively involved in his church. But, I will never forget him. He taught me something very important.

And having had that conversation with him changed how I read our Gospel passage from Luke today.

Perhaps it was mercy that had Jesus rebuking his disciples when they wanted to channel their inner Elijah and torch that Samaritan village that had rejected them. But, it is the kind of mercy that believes in second chances.

The kind of mercy that comes from discernment.

To recap, in the passage we read this morning in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus sends messengers ahead of him to enter into a village of Samaritans to prepare for his arrival, but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

With all of the information they had at their fingertips, with tradition and their experiences with their neighbours that village made the best decision available to them with the information that they had.

Jesus’ disciples, James and John, seeing the response of that village of Samaritans, say "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

This is not an act without précident - it’s what Elijah did to the prophets of ba’al. But remember, the Samaritans don’t recognize Elijah or the other prophets.

Clock the prejudice here and mark that Jesus rebukes them. He tells them off for their cruelty, for their desire to exact revenge.

And Immediately afterwards we get examples that prove that the people of that Samaritan village are not so different than the people who opened their doors to Jesus. Because, immediately afterwards, people who understood that the Tanakh, the prophets and the writings as scripture, people who worshipped on “the right” mountain, people who had fewer excuses for not recognizing Jesus for who and what He is, still don’t recognize Him. They offer up all sorts of good and noble excuses for why they cannot follow him. Why they must delay in following Him.

And his disciples are silent. They don’t ask to torch those people for rejecting Jesus.

But, those people did not follow Jesus either.

Perhaps in the juxtaposition between the two events - happening one after the other - they came to understand things a little differently. Perhaps their worlds got a little bigger - their perspectives stretched by the God who loves us all.

Perhaps, like my friend who wanted to provide well for his family by becoming an engineer - they had other duties, other priorities, other responsibilities.

But, the funny thing about those excuses is that Jesus can see right through them. God can see right through them. "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

What happens when a farmer puts their hand to the plow and looks back? The plow twists. The straight line becomes curved.

A farmer who does that is not fit to farm. A disciple who does that is not in that moment following Jesus.

Now, please don’t mistake me. God can do wonderful things with a curved line. Merciful, miraculous things. But, imagine what could happen if we listened the first time.

Amen.