The text that was read this morning from the New Testament is probably the most dangerous text in the whole of scripture. No matter your political leanings, progressive, conservative or anywhere in the middle, this text challenges your belief system to its very core. This text is so dangerous that it has been interpreted, reinterpreted and misinterpreted since Matthew wrote these words almost 2000 years ago. This text has been used to prevent people from revolting against the powers and principalities and this text has inspired social revolutions. This text has been used to keep the oppressed in a place of submission and this text has inspired the oppressed to resist de-humanization by sustaining their dignity. This text has been used to control people and this text has inspired people to take control through their own actions.
This text is so dangerous that when King James commissioned his translators to write the Bible in the vernacular of his day, he targeted this text as “seditious, dangerous, and trayterous” because he perceived it as scripture giving permission for the oppressed to disobey a tyrannical king and so he instructed his translators to water it down. “Therefore” some note, “the public had to be made to believe that there are two alternatives, and only two: flight or fight. And Jesus is made to command us, according to these king’s men, to resist not. Jesus appears to authorize monarchical absolutism. Submission is the will of God. And most modern translations have meekly followed in that path.” (1)
How many of us have had the phrase, “turn the other cheek” used against us when we’ve tried to defend ourselves against someone who is bullying us either physically or verbally. I don’t know about you, but that chafes me just as much as the sing songy “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” And the time honored phrase “If you ignore it, it will go away.” Bullying does not go away, words do matter and through digging deeper into this dangerous text, I’ve learned that submission to abuse was not what Jesus meant when he preached, “do not resist an evil doer, turn the other cheek, give your cloak as well and go also the second mile.”
Several years ago I went to a conference on non-violent resistance where theologian Walter Wink was the keynote speaker and the text that he focused on was the scripture we read this morning. Rather than just talking about his interpretation of the text, he recruited several of the youth in the audience to demonstrate this for us. In the first scene a slave owner is yelling at her slave that he isn’t following her instruction. Instead of cowering before her with head bent down, he looked her in the eye and calmly listened to her. As she became more agitated, she lifts up her right hand to slap his right cheek with the back of her hand (I assure you this was all blocked, all pretend, she didn’t really hit him). When her hand made contact with his right cheek, he lifted his head up and turned to expose his left cheek, thus she could not backslap him again. Walter Wink reminded us that in Jesus’ time, “The back hand was not a blow to injure, but to insult, humiliate, degrade. It was not administered to an equal, but to an inferior. Masters backhanded slaves; husbands, wives; parents, children; Romans, Jews. The whole point of the blow was to force someone who was out of line back into place.” (2) So when the young man turned his cheek she could do one of two things. She could back backhand him with her left hand, which ancient people didn’t do because the anything done with the left hand was considered unclean or she could hit right cheek with an open palm or a fist but in that time only equals fought with fists and open palms “and the last thing the master wishes to do is to establish this underlings equality.” (3) Walter Wink states, “By turning the cheek…the ‘inferior’ is saying: ‘I’m a human being, just like you. I refuse to be humiliated any longer. I am your equal. I am a child of God. I won’t take it anymore.” (4) In a world that is all about honor and shaming, the master has lost the power to shame the slave. She has been stripped of her power to dehumanize him. As Ghandi taught, “The first principle of nonviolent action is that of noncooperation with everything humiliating.” (5)
In the second scene a girl played a creditor taking a poor man to court over an unpaid loan. The judge ordered that the poor man give his jacket to the girl as collateral for his loan. The young man took off his jacket and handed it to her, then he took off his shirt, then he took off his t-shirt and then stood bare chested before her as she turned ten different shades of red. The Galilean landowners were crippled by the tremendous debt and high taxation that they owed to their Roman Occupiers. They kept their land by taking out loan upon loan with exorbitant interest rates of 25 to 250 percent. This economic leverage was used to pry Galilean peasants loose from their ancestral land. By the time of Jesus much of the Galilean land was owned by absentee Roman landlords, managed by stewards and worked by tenant farmers, day laborers and slaves. Even though the peasants lost their land, they were still in debt and taken to court to pay it off. According to Biblical law a creditor could take as collateral a poor person’s robe. It is to this injustice that Jesus speaks. While it is humiliating for a peasant to hand over his robe to his creditor, it is even more humiliating for the creditor to be seen with someone who is naked. Wink states, “Nakedness was taboo in Judaism, and shame fell less on the naked party than on the person viewing or causing the nakedness. By stripping, the debtor has brought shame on the creditor…the poor man has transcended this attempted to humiliate him. He has risen above shame. At the same time he has registered a stunning protest against the system that has created his debt.” (6) The powerful depend on their dignity and through non-violent resistance the powerless are able to take it away from them.
In the third and final scene a young man pretends to be a Roman Soldier forcing another young man playing a peasant to carry his heavy backpack for a mile. They walk side by side and come to a mile post and the soldier asks the peasant for his pack. The peasant refuses and tells the soldier “don’t worry, I’m going to walk it another mile.” The soldier began pleading for the peasant to give back his pack. Off to the side we see more soldiers snickering at this scene. Wink reminds us that carrying a pack a second mile is an infraction of military code for which a soldier could be punished. By carrying the pack a second mile, the peasant is getting the soldier in trouble. This will make the soldier think twice before he tries to force this peasant to carry his pack again. Once again the peasant has taken his power back through the use of non-violent resistance.
Some say that non-violence doesn't work, but over the past several years, there have been many countries which experienced non-violent revolutions: India, Ghana, Guatemala, South Africa, the Philippines and just last week Egypt. (7) We’ve even experienced the non-violent revolution of the civil rights movement where African Americans and their allies resisted the evil of segregation with non-violence. The evil of racism was laid bare as pictures of people being attacked at lunch counters were published in the newspaper. As the television showed footage of young people being chased by police dogs and hosed down at civil rights protests and as the radio aired throngs of people shouting all sorts of hatred against African American children walking to their newly de-segregated schools.
We are called as Christians to work towards the consummation of God’s kingdom here on earth where all of creation live in right relationship with each other. This comes about not by passively allowing evil to happen but by proactively resisting persecution through redemptive love. To never, never, never render evil for evil. That if the opportunity comes for us to defeat our adversaries in kind, that we do not bring ourselves down to their level. This was the meaning of love that Jesus was talking about when gave the command to love our enemies. Loving our enemy does not mean becoming a doormat. What it does mean is having a desire for the goodwill of all human kind. This goodwill seeks to defeat systems that are evil, but it does not seek to defeat other people. Rendering evil for evil only intensifies the cycle of evil. In resisting evil through the power of nonviolence the arc of history continues toward a just world as God would have it. That is the Kingdom of God. May it be so. Amen.
(1) Wink, Walter. The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium. (New York: Doubleday, 1998), 100.
(2) Ibid., 101
(3) Ibid., 102
(4) Ibid., 102
(5) Ibid., 102
(6) Ibid., 104-105
(7) http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2011/02/lectionary-blogging-matthew-5-38-48.html#tp
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
You Heard it Said...But I Say to You
Matthew 5:21-37
For these past 18 days I have been amazed by the revolution in Egypt that lead to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak from office. The people desired government reform, sustainable wages, a true democracy and an end to police brutality. They desired to determine their own destiny rather than be forced to continue to live another day under the oppressive rule of Murbarak’s 30 year regime. For the most part the protests were non-violent but unfortunately 300 hundred protestors did lose their lives in the protests. Today the Egyptians celebrate their new found freedom. In Cairo’s Tahrir square the crowds shouts of “Get out! Get Out!” are now replaced with chants of “Egypt is Free! Egypt is Free!” It is incredible that in 18 short days, a thirty year dictatorship could be brought down by just the power of the people. It is as President Obama said from White house, “The people of Egypt have spoken. Their voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same…but this is not the end of Egypt’s transition. It’s a beginning.” (1)
For these past three weeks we have been listening to Jesus preaching to an oppressed people living under the regime of the Roman Empire. We heard Jesus encourage his disciples to exceed following the letter of God’s love by digging deeper into the law to understand the spirit in which God gave them the law. At the core of each of these laws, in each stroke of each letter of the law is God’s great desire for all of creation to have everything they need to live full, sustainable lives. This is the fulfillment that Jesus speaks of when he proclaimed that the kingdom of God was at hand. He tells his disciples that by participating in mending a broken world, they exceed the law in bringing God’s realm to realization. In building the kingdom of God, they are also entering it!
Today we hear Jesus describe to his disciples concrete ways they can exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and Scribes in the way they live the lawThe first step to healing a broken world is by reconciling broken relationships. In this passage Jesus addresses four big ways by which relationships can break: anger, lust, abandonment and the avoidance of truth. As always, Jesus was never afraid to, “go there” with his people.
It’s not hard for us to be at odds with today’s gospel reading. These are pretty controversial things, anger, lust, abandonment and avoiding the truth. But rather than sweeping these issues under the rug, Jesus brings them out into the light of day and tells his people that the way of reconciliation.
“You have heard it said ‘you shall not murder’ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment’ But I say to you that if you are angry at your brother or sister, you shall be liable to judgment’” (5:21-22a) At first blush it appears that Jesus was saying that it was wrong to be angry. But digging deeper into the text shows that it wasn’t anger that Jesus was condemning but the act of not acknowledging anger and thus stuffing it and/or holding a grudge. Jesus continues, “If your brother or sister has something against you…first be reconciled to your brother or sister…come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him.” (5:23b, 24b, 25a) Jesus states that reconciliation is essential in order to heal anger and bring right relationship. Without reconciliation you will not be able to get out from under the anger and the damage will continue to build even to the extreme of murder.
“You have heard it said ‘you shall not commit ‘adultery’ But I say to you ‘whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery.’” (5:27-28) followed by “It has also been said “whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce, but I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (5:31-32) We remember that the most oppressed people of Jesus’ day were women. Women were literally the property of her male relatives. Biblical scholars note that, “In ancient Israel and in the Hebrew Scriptures, women were given in marriage by men and found their fulfillment in bearing sons who would carry on both the family line and its religious beliefs and practices. To be barren was a curse and a reason for the husband’s marriage of a second wife or for his begetting of children with a concubine. Divorce was the prerogative of men...In the Greco-Roman setting of early Christianity, women passed in their early teens from the household and the control of their fathers to a husband twice their age or more...A right to inherit property from her biological [sic] family gave her some independence, but she could be divorced at the will of her husband or even her father...The prohibitions of divorce attributed to Jesus may have functioned to protect women from male abandonment or manipulation.” (2)
What is interesting to note is that in the biblical times women were the only ones who could be accused of being adulterers. If a man cheated on his wife, it was not considered adultery, but because women were considered the property of their husbands, if they had relations outside of marriage, then it was considered adultery. And so Jesus challenges the hypocrisy of only calling women adulterers by stating, “Whoever divorces his wife and causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (5:32) In essence Jesus is calling those who are powerful (the men) to be accountable in faithful in relationships with those who have less power (the women).
“You have heard it said ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, ‘Do not swear at all.” (5:33-34a) To swear is to take an oath similar to what happens in a court of law when people swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth before they testify. This implies that without an oath, you cannot tell for sure if what the person is saying is a lie or if it is the truth. We’d like to think that we are 100 percent honest but we’ve all told the occasional white lie. Whether to avoid conflict, keep from hurting someone’s feelings or to protect ourselves we’ve stretched the truth or omitted it all together to keep the peace. But in order to bring about a healed world Jesus says that everything we say has to be the truth. Let every yes you say really mean yes and every no you say mean no. Now I don’t think Jesus is telling us to say, “Yes those jeans really do make you look fat.” But that in situations where we are seeking reconciliation in conflict that we are called to tell our stories, our truths authentically in order to bring together that which is broken.
After the abolishment of apartheid, the government of South Africa assured a successful and peaceful transfer of power after the abolishment of apartheid by forming of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Through the forum of public hearings victims and perpetrators of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences on order to “enable South Africans to come to terms with their past on a morally accepted basis and to advance the cause of reconciliation.” (3) Many criticized the South African Government for this commission. Some believed that peace and stability in post apartheid Africa could only be found in the punishment of perpetrators. Others felt that they needed to leave the past behind. They thought that it was counterproductive for people to publically recall the horrible events of the past. However the government believed that in order to make lasting peace in their country reconciliation not retribution was going to bring their country to wholeness. That nationwide healing will found when the humanity of all both victim and perpetrator are honored after the de-humanizing atrocities of apartheid. The leader of the commission Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu states, “For the black people it is the essence of being human. I am human because you are human. My humanity is caught up in yours and if you are dehumanized, I am dehumanized, and anger and resentment and retribution are corrosive of this great good, the harmony that has got to exist between people. And that is why our people have been committed to the reconciliation where we use restorative rather than retributive justice, which is a kind of justice, that says - we are looking to the healing of relationships, we are seeking to open wounds, yes, but to open them so that we can cleanse them and they don't fester; we cleanse them and then pour oil on them, and then we can move into the glorious future that God is opening up for us.” (4)
This process is not easy. It takes hard work, patience and open hearts. It may seem easier to try to forget what happened in order to move on. But when things are left unsaid and the truth is kept silent, the wounds remain and fester under the surface. My hope and prayer for Egypt is that they follow South Africa’s example of reconciliation and truth telling as they form their new government. You have heard it said that we need to forget in order to be free but Jesus says to us that reconciliation and truth telling are the true way of freedom. May it be so. Amen
(1) CNN Wire Staff, “Obama Praises Egyptian Revolution.” http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/11/egypt.us.reaction/index.html?iref=allsearch#
(2) Lisa Sowle Cahill, “Marriage.” Dictionary of Feminist Theologies. Russell, Letty M., and J. Shannon Clarkson eds. (Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996 ), 172-173.
(3) Official Truth and Reconcilliation website http://www.justice.gov.za/trc/
(4) Desmond Tutu interview with Ray Suerez on PBS Newshour Oct. 6, 1999. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/july-dec99/tutu_10-6.html
For these past 18 days I have been amazed by the revolution in Egypt that lead to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak from office. The people desired government reform, sustainable wages, a true democracy and an end to police brutality. They desired to determine their own destiny rather than be forced to continue to live another day under the oppressive rule of Murbarak’s 30 year regime. For the most part the protests were non-violent but unfortunately 300 hundred protestors did lose their lives in the protests. Today the Egyptians celebrate their new found freedom. In Cairo’s Tahrir square the crowds shouts of “Get out! Get Out!” are now replaced with chants of “Egypt is Free! Egypt is Free!” It is incredible that in 18 short days, a thirty year dictatorship could be brought down by just the power of the people. It is as President Obama said from White house, “The people of Egypt have spoken. Their voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same…but this is not the end of Egypt’s transition. It’s a beginning.” (1)
For these past three weeks we have been listening to Jesus preaching to an oppressed people living under the regime of the Roman Empire. We heard Jesus encourage his disciples to exceed following the letter of God’s love by digging deeper into the law to understand the spirit in which God gave them the law. At the core of each of these laws, in each stroke of each letter of the law is God’s great desire for all of creation to have everything they need to live full, sustainable lives. This is the fulfillment that Jesus speaks of when he proclaimed that the kingdom of God was at hand. He tells his disciples that by participating in mending a broken world, they exceed the law in bringing God’s realm to realization. In building the kingdom of God, they are also entering it!
Today we hear Jesus describe to his disciples concrete ways they can exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and Scribes in the way they live the lawThe first step to healing a broken world is by reconciling broken relationships. In this passage Jesus addresses four big ways by which relationships can break: anger, lust, abandonment and the avoidance of truth. As always, Jesus was never afraid to, “go there” with his people.
It’s not hard for us to be at odds with today’s gospel reading. These are pretty controversial things, anger, lust, abandonment and avoiding the truth. But rather than sweeping these issues under the rug, Jesus brings them out into the light of day and tells his people that the way of reconciliation.
“You have heard it said ‘you shall not murder’ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment’ But I say to you that if you are angry at your brother or sister, you shall be liable to judgment’” (5:21-22a) At first blush it appears that Jesus was saying that it was wrong to be angry. But digging deeper into the text shows that it wasn’t anger that Jesus was condemning but the act of not acknowledging anger and thus stuffing it and/or holding a grudge. Jesus continues, “If your brother or sister has something against you…first be reconciled to your brother or sister…come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him.” (5:23b, 24b, 25a) Jesus states that reconciliation is essential in order to heal anger and bring right relationship. Without reconciliation you will not be able to get out from under the anger and the damage will continue to build even to the extreme of murder.
“You have heard it said ‘you shall not commit ‘adultery’ But I say to you ‘whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery.’” (5:27-28) followed by “It has also been said “whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce, but I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (5:31-32) We remember that the most oppressed people of Jesus’ day were women. Women were literally the property of her male relatives. Biblical scholars note that, “In ancient Israel and in the Hebrew Scriptures, women were given in marriage by men and found their fulfillment in bearing sons who would carry on both the family line and its religious beliefs and practices. To be barren was a curse and a reason for the husband’s marriage of a second wife or for his begetting of children with a concubine. Divorce was the prerogative of men...In the Greco-Roman setting of early Christianity, women passed in their early teens from the household and the control of their fathers to a husband twice their age or more...A right to inherit property from her biological [sic] family gave her some independence, but she could be divorced at the will of her husband or even her father...The prohibitions of divorce attributed to Jesus may have functioned to protect women from male abandonment or manipulation.” (2)
What is interesting to note is that in the biblical times women were the only ones who could be accused of being adulterers. If a man cheated on his wife, it was not considered adultery, but because women were considered the property of their husbands, if they had relations outside of marriage, then it was considered adultery. And so Jesus challenges the hypocrisy of only calling women adulterers by stating, “Whoever divorces his wife and causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (5:32) In essence Jesus is calling those who are powerful (the men) to be accountable in faithful in relationships with those who have less power (the women).
“You have heard it said ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, ‘Do not swear at all.” (5:33-34a) To swear is to take an oath similar to what happens in a court of law when people swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth before they testify. This implies that without an oath, you cannot tell for sure if what the person is saying is a lie or if it is the truth. We’d like to think that we are 100 percent honest but we’ve all told the occasional white lie. Whether to avoid conflict, keep from hurting someone’s feelings or to protect ourselves we’ve stretched the truth or omitted it all together to keep the peace. But in order to bring about a healed world Jesus says that everything we say has to be the truth. Let every yes you say really mean yes and every no you say mean no. Now I don’t think Jesus is telling us to say, “Yes those jeans really do make you look fat.” But that in situations where we are seeking reconciliation in conflict that we are called to tell our stories, our truths authentically in order to bring together that which is broken.
After the abolishment of apartheid, the government of South Africa assured a successful and peaceful transfer of power after the abolishment of apartheid by forming of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Through the forum of public hearings victims and perpetrators of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences on order to “enable South Africans to come to terms with their past on a morally accepted basis and to advance the cause of reconciliation.” (3) Many criticized the South African Government for this commission. Some believed that peace and stability in post apartheid Africa could only be found in the punishment of perpetrators. Others felt that they needed to leave the past behind. They thought that it was counterproductive for people to publically recall the horrible events of the past. However the government believed that in order to make lasting peace in their country reconciliation not retribution was going to bring their country to wholeness. That nationwide healing will found when the humanity of all both victim and perpetrator are honored after the de-humanizing atrocities of apartheid. The leader of the commission Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu states, “For the black people it is the essence of being human. I am human because you are human. My humanity is caught up in yours and if you are dehumanized, I am dehumanized, and anger and resentment and retribution are corrosive of this great good, the harmony that has got to exist between people. And that is why our people have been committed to the reconciliation where we use restorative rather than retributive justice, which is a kind of justice, that says - we are looking to the healing of relationships, we are seeking to open wounds, yes, but to open them so that we can cleanse them and they don't fester; we cleanse them and then pour oil on them, and then we can move into the glorious future that God is opening up for us.” (4)
This process is not easy. It takes hard work, patience and open hearts. It may seem easier to try to forget what happened in order to move on. But when things are left unsaid and the truth is kept silent, the wounds remain and fester under the surface. My hope and prayer for Egypt is that they follow South Africa’s example of reconciliation and truth telling as they form their new government. You have heard it said that we need to forget in order to be free but Jesus says to us that reconciliation and truth telling are the true way of freedom. May it be so. Amen
(1) CNN Wire Staff, “Obama Praises Egyptian Revolution.” http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/11/egypt.us.reaction/index.html?iref=allsearch#
(2) Lisa Sowle Cahill, “Marriage.” Dictionary of Feminist Theologies. Russell, Letty M., and J. Shannon Clarkson eds. (Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996 ), 172-173.
(3) Official Truth and Reconcilliation website http://www.justice.gov.za/trc/
(4) Desmond Tutu interview with Ray Suerez on PBS Newshour Oct. 6, 1999. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/july-dec99/tutu_10-6.html
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Let it Shine
A rabbi was walking through the forest one evening deep in meditation and prayer. He was so absorbed in his contemplation that he lost his way and found himself in front of a military base.
A guard in front of the base brought the rabbi out if his reverie with a shout, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
To which the rabbi replied, “How much to they pay you?”
“What?”
“I asked, how much do they pay you?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because,” said the wise rabbi, “I need someone to ask me those questions every day.”
Who are we? What are we doing here? Why did God create Smalltown Congregational Church, UCC over two hundred years ago and why do we still exist now? In the lifetime of this community of faith, many churches have come and gone around us and yet our church has stood the test of time. The Christian Church has survived for over 2000 years but does our longevity mean that we can rest on our past success and take our perseverance for granted or do we need to prayfully why the Holy Spirit has brought us thus far and where does the Spirit want us to go.
Who are we? What are we doing here?
We are a community of faith in an era where the fastest growing segment of religious affiliation is “None of the above.” For the first time in the 62 generations that have come to pass since the beginning of the Christian Church, we have a generation of people, mostly 40 and under who were not raised in the church. When asked about their faith life, these folk were more likely to say, “I am spiritual but I am not religious.” They long to have a connection with something which is greater than themselves, something that lets them know that they are accepted, that they are loved. But they are disenchanted with organized religion because they believe it to be exclusionary and narrow-minded. But we are an open and affirming church, we are a church that cares about the earth, we are a church that seeks justice and peace for the world, certainly that is as welcoming and open minded as any church can get. Aren’t we what they are looking for?
Who are we? What are we doing here?
In the gospel reading this morning we hear Jesus call his disciples, “the salt of the earth” and “The light of the world” A hopeful message to a people living under the boot of the Roman Empire but not without its challenge. Tensions ran high in Jewish community of which Jesus was a part of. Some note that in Jesus’ culture religion and politics were never separated and so it was a struggle identify as being part of the Jewish community when the dominate culture was Gentile. It was a struggle to call oneself part of God’s chosen people when the promises of the Davidic kingship have not come to fruition. Some note, “This led to an array of anxious questions: How can it be that God’s holy city and temple are occupied territory? What does this say about God’s relationship to us? What does God want us to do? How does God want us to respond?”
The different factions of Jesus Jewish community had different answers to these questions. The Sadducees said, “If you can’t beat ‘em, collaborate with them.” They felt that there was no way the Israelites could fight the empire so they encouraged the Israelites to comply with the oppressors rather than resist them. On the other hand the Zealots wanted to take up weapons and fight the empire. If God is on their side, they believed that God would give them what they needed to get out from under the Roman Empire. Then we have the Pharisees which some note were divided on how to respond to the Empire. Some wanted to take up arms whereas others “opted for the ghetto; realizing that the small Jewish Nation was no match for the vast military resources of the empire.” So they sought to preserve their culture through deeper study and practice of God’s laws as brought down to them by Moses and written in the Torah. “If one could not obtain one’s political independence, at least one could preserve one’s cultural and religious identity as a people called and set apart by God.” This was righteousness according to the Pharisees, that in obeying the letter of law they will prove themselves worthy of God’s mercy as well as maintain their unique identity as God’s chosen people.
However Jesus challenged all of these notions in his sermon on the mount. He commanded the Zealots to love their enemies not hate them, to pray for the enemies and not defeat them in kind. He commanded the Saduccees to resist injustice rather than comply with it and he told the Pharisees that it wasn’t enough just to follow the law but to dig deeper to understand the spirit of the law that God has given them.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” (5:17-18)
God gave the gift of the law so that all of God’s creation may live in right relationship with each other. At the core of each of these laws, in each stroke and in each letter of the law is God’s great desire for all to have everything they need to live full, sustainable lives. The fulfillment that Jesus speaks of is the kingdom of God drawn near, where those who are hungry are fed, where those who are meek inherit the earth, where those who mourn are comforted, and those who hunger and thirst for justice are satisfied. By becoming God’s hands, feet and voice in building the kingdom of God here on earth, not only are you following the law, rather you are exceeding the law in bringing God’s realm to realization. In building the kingdom of God, you are also entering it!
But who are we? What are we doing here? What does it mean to be disciples of Jesus in our setting? In many ways we face the same issues that Jesus’ faith community at his time. The influence of Christianity in the public square is lessened, our denomination has gotten smaller, why even our congregation has gotten smaller in these last decades. What are we to do? The smaller numbers are cause for concern but also the people who currently sit in our pews today are a sign of hope. You all are not here because you have to be, but because you want to be. All of you here are very spiritually engaged, this is not a church of spectators but a church of participators. You are a faithful community that wants to be welcoming of all people who come in through our doors, that seeks to care for the earth, that desires a world of justice and peace as God would have it. We may be but it only takes a small candle to illumine a whole room. But is our light on a lamp stand or has it been put under a bushel basket. I have said before that Smalltown Congregational Church UCC is the lakes region best kept secret. There are people who hunger for things such as a community that is open and affirming, a community that cares for the earth, a community that just peace but what outside of our doors tells our greater community that they can find these things here. We need to let our light shine before others so that they can see how our work glorifies God. We need to let our light shine so that all who hunger for justice know they have a home here. We cannot let the fear of “being to out there” keep us from letting our light shine.
In a quote often associated with Nelson Mandela, spiritualist Marianne Williamson states that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are “powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ, you are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world. Be that city on a hill that cannot be hid…let your light shine so the world may know the good news of God’s love through our very presence for this is who we are and why we are here!!!! May it be so. Amen.
(1) “Matthew 5:13-20 – Exegetical Perspective” Feasting on the Word, 335.
(2) Exeg. Ibid., 335
(3) Exeg. Ibid., 335
(4) http://skdesigns.com/internet/articles/quotes/williamson/our_deepest_fear/
A guard in front of the base brought the rabbi out if his reverie with a shout, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
To which the rabbi replied, “How much to they pay you?”
“What?”
“I asked, how much do they pay you?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because,” said the wise rabbi, “I need someone to ask me those questions every day.”
Who are we? What are we doing here? Why did God create Smalltown Congregational Church, UCC over two hundred years ago and why do we still exist now? In the lifetime of this community of faith, many churches have come and gone around us and yet our church has stood the test of time. The Christian Church has survived for over 2000 years but does our longevity mean that we can rest on our past success and take our perseverance for granted or do we need to prayfully why the Holy Spirit has brought us thus far and where does the Spirit want us to go.
Who are we? What are we doing here?
We are a community of faith in an era where the fastest growing segment of religious affiliation is “None of the above.” For the first time in the 62 generations that have come to pass since the beginning of the Christian Church, we have a generation of people, mostly 40 and under who were not raised in the church. When asked about their faith life, these folk were more likely to say, “I am spiritual but I am not religious.” They long to have a connection with something which is greater than themselves, something that lets them know that they are accepted, that they are loved. But they are disenchanted with organized religion because they believe it to be exclusionary and narrow-minded. But we are an open and affirming church, we are a church that cares about the earth, we are a church that seeks justice and peace for the world, certainly that is as welcoming and open minded as any church can get. Aren’t we what they are looking for?
Who are we? What are we doing here?
In the gospel reading this morning we hear Jesus call his disciples, “the salt of the earth” and “The light of the world” A hopeful message to a people living under the boot of the Roman Empire but not without its challenge. Tensions ran high in Jewish community of which Jesus was a part of. Some note that in Jesus’ culture religion and politics were never separated and so it was a struggle identify as being part of the Jewish community when the dominate culture was Gentile. It was a struggle to call oneself part of God’s chosen people when the promises of the Davidic kingship have not come to fruition. Some note, “This led to an array of anxious questions: How can it be that God’s holy city and temple are occupied territory? What does this say about God’s relationship to us? What does God want us to do? How does God want us to respond?”
The different factions of Jesus Jewish community had different answers to these questions. The Sadducees said, “If you can’t beat ‘em, collaborate with them.” They felt that there was no way the Israelites could fight the empire so they encouraged the Israelites to comply with the oppressors rather than resist them. On the other hand the Zealots wanted to take up weapons and fight the empire. If God is on their side, they believed that God would give them what they needed to get out from under the Roman Empire. Then we have the Pharisees which some note were divided on how to respond to the Empire. Some wanted to take up arms whereas others “opted for the ghetto; realizing that the small Jewish Nation was no match for the vast military resources of the empire.” So they sought to preserve their culture through deeper study and practice of God’s laws as brought down to them by Moses and written in the Torah. “If one could not obtain one’s political independence, at least one could preserve one’s cultural and religious identity as a people called and set apart by God.” This was righteousness according to the Pharisees, that in obeying the letter of law they will prove themselves worthy of God’s mercy as well as maintain their unique identity as God’s chosen people.
However Jesus challenged all of these notions in his sermon on the mount. He commanded the Zealots to love their enemies not hate them, to pray for the enemies and not defeat them in kind. He commanded the Saduccees to resist injustice rather than comply with it and he told the Pharisees that it wasn’t enough just to follow the law but to dig deeper to understand the spirit of the law that God has given them.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” (5:17-18)
God gave the gift of the law so that all of God’s creation may live in right relationship with each other. At the core of each of these laws, in each stroke and in each letter of the law is God’s great desire for all to have everything they need to live full, sustainable lives. The fulfillment that Jesus speaks of is the kingdom of God drawn near, where those who are hungry are fed, where those who are meek inherit the earth, where those who mourn are comforted, and those who hunger and thirst for justice are satisfied. By becoming God’s hands, feet and voice in building the kingdom of God here on earth, not only are you following the law, rather you are exceeding the law in bringing God’s realm to realization. In building the kingdom of God, you are also entering it!
But who are we? What are we doing here? What does it mean to be disciples of Jesus in our setting? In many ways we face the same issues that Jesus’ faith community at his time. The influence of Christianity in the public square is lessened, our denomination has gotten smaller, why even our congregation has gotten smaller in these last decades. What are we to do? The smaller numbers are cause for concern but also the people who currently sit in our pews today are a sign of hope. You all are not here because you have to be, but because you want to be. All of you here are very spiritually engaged, this is not a church of spectators but a church of participators. You are a faithful community that wants to be welcoming of all people who come in through our doors, that seeks to care for the earth, that desires a world of justice and peace as God would have it. We may be but it only takes a small candle to illumine a whole room. But is our light on a lamp stand or has it been put under a bushel basket. I have said before that Smalltown Congregational Church UCC is the lakes region best kept secret. There are people who hunger for things such as a community that is open and affirming, a community that cares for the earth, a community that just peace but what outside of our doors tells our greater community that they can find these things here. We need to let our light shine before others so that they can see how our work glorifies God. We need to let our light shine so that all who hunger for justice know they have a home here. We cannot let the fear of “being to out there” keep us from letting our light shine.
In a quote often associated with Nelson Mandela, spiritualist Marianne Williamson states that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are “powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ, you are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world. Be that city on a hill that cannot be hid…let your light shine so the world may know the good news of God’s love through our very presence for this is who we are and why we are here!!!! May it be so. Amen.
(1) “Matthew 5:13-20 – Exegetical Perspective” Feasting on the Word, 335.
(2) Exeg. Ibid., 335
(3) Exeg. Ibid., 335
(4) http://skdesigns.com/internet/articles/quotes/williamson/our_deepest_fear/
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