This is another one of Luke’s confusing, even troubling, gospels… made even more troubling by linking two apparently unconnected parables into one confusing narrative. To begin, the disciples make what seems a perfectly reasonable request: Give us more faith! And Jesus gives them a stinging reply. We can sympathize with their confusion. For chapter after chapter of Luke, Jesus has been challenging them to embrace some pretty radical concepts. This Nazarene, this journeyman carpenter tells them that he and the Father are one; that they must change their hearts or perish; that love of God and neighbor supersedes sacred ritual; that they cannot serve God and wealth; that they must forgive and forgive again… and on and on… one tough nut after another. No wonder they ask: Give us more faith!

“Them that has, gets.”  So the old expression goes… but exactly what do they get? And what does it cost them? In this week’s gospel Jesus addresses the price of worldly wealth, its value… and its unintended consequences. The “poor little rich girl” is a familiar figure from 19th Century literature. She inherited everything, but happiness. Her male counterpart is “Scrooge,” the picture of hard-hearted, money grubbing. But whether they inherited it or acquired it, both paid a terrible price for their wealth.

Fifteen years after the atrocities of 9/11, the pain remains – intense for those closest to the victims, a dull ache for those of us further removed. Jesus reaches out from the gospel to take our pain – if not with a quick cure, surely with a sound road to recovery.

If you think your life can get pretty rough sometimes, think about what it would be like if you had to be perfect… all the time. No flaws. No falls. No sins. There is only one person who has ever met that standard. It isn’t you… and it sure isn’t me.

Hate your mom and dad? No way… Jesus can’t be serious. But he is. This is one of those Bible passages that gives fits to folks who base their faith on a literal reading of scripture. But what if the word “hate” doesn’t mean what you think it does? What if Jesus means we should love God above all else, not that we should detest our parents? If “hate” really means “love less,” it doesn’t help the ultra-literal very much. In fact, it raises a bigger problem. If words are pliable. If they don’t mean what you think they do. If meanings can be modified in translation… what else in the Bible is not entirely literal?

Pride is Satan’s curve ball. More souls have gone down swinging at that sucker pitch than any other. Satan throws it so well because it’s the oldest trick in his bag. He’s been practicing it since the Garden of Eden. Pride is the original sin that brought down Adam and Eve. It is the gateway sin that opens the door to a host of evil… from petty snobbery to genocide. That’s why pride is the sin that Jesus identifies over and over for condemnation.

In this week’s gospel, Jesus runs smack into an ambush… but not an unexpected one. When he is attacked for curing a woman on the Sabbath, Jesus makes it a teachable moment. In the face of fierce criticism, he doesn’t give an inch… but stands his ground and argues that love always trumps legalism.

Jesus promises us a happy ending. But getting there will be another story. In this week’s gospel, Jesus tells us: Do you think I came to give peace to the earth. No, I tell you, I came to divide it. To a world awash in sin, Jesus announces he’s come to shake things up… big time. But Christ isn’t just talking tough. He’s accurately predicting the impact his message of love will have on our self-centered human nature.

Besides many helpful hints about water safety, we can learn a lot from the U.S. Coast Guard. Their motto is “Semper Paratus.” But “Always Ready” is more than their motto; it is the way that they live. And it has served them well… through two centuries of hurricanes and shipwrecks, floods and wars. Living with the certain knowledge that danger is always approaching can either paralyze you… or it can empower you. Being ready for threats helps make them manageable. It empowers the Coast Guard to meet the inevitable with courage and competence. And that is Christ’s message to us in this week’s gospel: Semper Paratus… be Ready Always… accept responsibility… don’t run from it… don’t hide from it. Be prepared… and have faith that with God’s help, all will come right.

More and more our lives are defined by “stuff”… getting stuff, keeping stuff, always wanting more and better stuff. Whether it’s a bigger flat screen or a smarter smart phone, there is always more stuff out there that upon attainment will finally make us happy. Meanwhile attics, basements, landfills and junkyards overflow with last year’s gotta-have-it stuff.