Courage

 2nd Sunday of Lent

Genesis 12:1-4 & Joshua 1:1-9

16 March 2014                                                 

Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                                   

This cat has the courage to face not one but many potential enemies.  Esther had the courage to stand up to evil, saving her people.  Abraham and Sarah had the courage to leave all that was familiar and safe to go to unknown places.   Joshua had the courage after the death of Moses to lead his people into the Promised Land.  God says to Abram, “Go and I will bless you and make you a blessing to others.   God says to Joshua, Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.    Abram and Joshua are the start and finish of the long story of God’s people trying to settle down in one place, where they might be blessed to be a blessing.

Genesis 12:1-4

"Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

(NRSV)

I like to travel, but I don’t like to move.   Considering how little Abram and Sarai, as they were named at this time, moving to a new land would be even more frightening.   Would they be safe?   Would they have food and shelter?   How would God make of them a great nation, when they are already quite old with no children.   It does not sound promising, but it is the promise of God to them, and as such it can be trusted.   Those who listen to God are often called to go with courage to unknown places figuratively, to trust that God will provide all that we need.   Remember how the disciples dropped their nets and went with Jesus?  Remember how Jesus went into Jerusalem on the day we now celebrate as Palm Sunday.   He sensed the danger of the moment, but he was courageous.  

Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear and mastery of fear but NOT absence of fear.”   Now Joshua had good reason to fear.   Strong and faithful leader Moses was dead, and what?   He’s supposed to help the Israelites make it across the Jordan!   We are going to hear the story of God’s en-courage-ment to Joshua.   Pay attention to that word.   To encourage someone is not just to pat them on the back; it is to give them courage.   Courage, despite their fears.   Courage.   Remember the Cowardly Lion’s brave speech while waiting to see the Emperor?   

What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage!   What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?

Courage!  Now it took a just little courage for these adults to climb up the waterslide with the kids with an audience at the Camphire’s Irish party.   But the real courage we see in our friend Anderson, who came to this country six years ago, leaving his wife and two young daughters in Cameroon, and on Tuesday he will become a US Citizen, which means he is closer to being able to bring them over to join him and to be part of our Peace family!   Courage is a way of demonstrating your trust in God.   Hear God’s encouraging promise to Joshua.

Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, 2 "My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. 5 No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. 9 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."   (NRSV)

This theme of courage has really taken hold in me this week.   It seems an appropriate message, as we weep with those waiting on word about the missing Malaysian airplane.   It seems right in thinking about what it feels like to be a resident of the Ukraine, wondering what will happen next with Russia.  

And it seemed even more right after viewing The Butler at the Faith and Film Night.  A father and son, each in their own generation, mired in the oppression of racism in the civil rights era, acting out of courage in two radically divergent but constructive ways.   And after the movie, wondering what it means to be a courageous church in our day – what does it mean to be courageous as a new church in the face of declining numbers?   What does it mean in the church to be courageously sacrificial in giving, when many people cannot understand why we would find joy in giving away so much of our money?  What does it mean to be courageous in support of underpaid and oppressed farmworkers?   What does it mean to be courageous in support of the needs of gay people when the definition of marriage is being debated in church and culture?

And how can we be a church of the big tent – allowing people to live courageously and faithfully according to the call of God in their lives, given their generation and perspective.   Courage means we exercise love and respect, even if our faith is lived out as differently as the subservient, silent and underpaid butler in the White House and his son, a freedom rider sitting at the lunch counter in Nashville, active in non-violent protests for civil rights.  

St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow, and many of us celebrated yesterday with good food and fellowship at the Camphires.   Along with all the green apparel and four-leaf clovers, we should always remember the courage of St Patrick.   Tragedy struck Patrick at sixteen years old when he was kidnapped by Irish Pirates and taken from his family and friends to the Emerald Isle where he was forced into slavery.  This was the 4th century.  While he was a slave, Patrick recalled his Christian upbringing and turned back to that true God of whom he wrote so eloquently. He became a pilgrim, turning his captivity into a time of spiritual growth. He learned to walk the way of love. Here the testimony of St Patrick: 

Love of God and the fear of Him increased more and more, and faith grew, and the spirit was moved, so that in one day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and at night nearly as many…And I felt no hurt, nor was there any sluggishness in me- as I now see because the spirit was then fervent within me"

Not only did Patrick grow in faith these six years, but after he was able to escape  back to Britain and train for the ministry, saying he would never go back to Ireland, he got a message from God, much like the ones given to Abraham and Joshua.   Go from your kindred and your home.   Be courageous.  Be strong.   I will be with you.   St Patrick went back to Ireland to share the Gospel with those who had enslaved him!  Courage.
C. S. Lewis said, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."  So now let us sing a hymn written by a pastor, Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick, who was courageous enough in the 1920’s to preach in the Old First Presbyterian Church of New York City that the gospel was broader and more inclusive than many people thought at that time.   This hymn grew out of the controversy of his day.   God of Grace and God of Glory

And now let us affirm our faith with the German Christians who had the courage to stand up against Hitler and his regime, many of whom were killed for this strong stand against evil.  Esther lived, but sometimes courage leads to death, as it did for Christ and many of his closest disciples.

The Theological Declaration of Barmen

If

First Sunday of Lent
Matthew 4:1-11
 8 March 2014
Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                                   

If I cheat on this one test, what does it matter?   If I drink and drive, I will be more careful than other people.   If I don’t take my medicine today, it won’t really matter.  If I eat this one piece of cake, then I will feel better.  If the neighbor has a nice car, I deserve one too.   If I hurry, I can get one more thing done before I leave.  If I had a difficult childhood, people should feel sorry for me.   If I get a bad grade or lose my job, it’s not my fault.   If I don’t go to church, I can still be a spiritual person.  If he’s going to be difficult, I’ll just ignore him.  If it feels good, why not?   If she’d been more supportive, I would have been faithful to her.   If he’s going to be unkind to me, I’ll might as well be rude too.   If I don’t pray, don’t read the Bible, it’s all the same.   If only I had a happy family like they do.   If only I could be as attractive and successful as her.   If only I had as much money and power as he does.   If only I could just show them.   If I had more time, if I wasn’t so busy, if I had more energy, I would _____(fill in the blank for the responsible thing you should be doing that you are not.)

Genesis 2:15-17

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

If God put this apple tree in the garden of Eden, then it must be for us to enjoy.   If we eat from this tree, we will not die, we will be smarter.   The Genesis story is the human entry into disobedience.   Man and woman are tempted and they eat what they were commanded to avoid.   They had plenty in the garden, but they wanted more.  

Jesus turns the Genesis story on its head by resisting temptation.   Every time, the tempter invites him to prove himself by saying, “If you are as powerful as God…then do what you please and prove your power to me.   Jesus refuses to play the evil game of ifs.

This story of Jesus’ forty days of the wilderness, being tempted has two big points that should not be missed.   First, the story follows the baptism story.    Now in terms of the church year, it has been a while since we celebrated the baptism of Jesus, but in the narrative, temptation follows baptism.  This is my beloved Son.   The second crucial point not to miss is this:   It is the Spirit who takes Jesus into the wilderness.    So, let’s be sure to appreciate the full impact of this.  The Spirit comes descending down on him, and the wonderful words of heaven are proclaimed, “This is my Beloved Son.  With him I am well-pleased.”  And then Spirit drives him into the wilderness.   Apparently, he needed to identify with us in temptation and win the battle, as true humanity, created in God’s image like us, yet with the divine ability to fix broken humanity, as defined by Adam and Eve.

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 

11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Jesus' 40 days of fasting reminds us of the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, and the 40-day fasts of Moses and Elijah.   In the Bible, the term forty years or forty days is more approximate.   Remember, they were not marking days on a calendar.   

There are a couple of ways to understand this temptation narrative.   One way is to look at the three temptations as different kinds of testing that we like Jesus experience.  

IF you are God’s beloved, then you should be comfy all the time – eating bread, not suffering.   Turn stones into bread is the temptation of living according to fleshly desires.   Of course, we all sympathize with Jesus because we imagine that he was in a total fast, but it is just as likely he was doing a partial fast, surviving on whatever he could find in the wilderness.   Living the radically simple life, and that some baked bread or freshly caught fish would have been sorely missed.   Remember that fasting is not such a strange act.   Giving up certain types of foods, or skipping a meal is a fine way to work on your relationship with God, to find more satisfaction/contentment in God’s word than comfort foods.

The second temptation – IF you are the Son of God, prove it.  Throw yourself down from the temple and command God’s angels to protect you – is the temptation to abuse power.    Prove yourself to people so they know all that you can do.  Instead of using power to care, use power to impress, for political gain.

The third temptation – see all the kingdoms of the world, you can have them, IF you will worship me.   This is the temptation of coveting or putting yourself in God’s place – breaking the commandment to worship only God.   Jesus had the greatest temptation to consider himself equal with God, but for our sakes, he did not claim that place, but humbled himself, even to the point of death. 

Now there’s a deeper meaning to these temptations too.   In his book The Politics of Jesus,  John Howard Yoder, suggests that the three temptations of Jesus foreshadow the three points in his ministry where political temptations were the greatest:  right after the miracle of the loaves and fish was performed, when the hungry crowds wanted to make him king; when he cleansed the Temple, at which time he had already secured enough political and moral support from the crowds to start a political movement; and the night at Gethsemane when he played with the idea of calling on twelve legions of angels to stop his arrest - he could have initiated a holy war had he chosen to.

All of those moments in Jesus’ life he experienced the real temptation to take the easy way out, the way that avoids suffering.   But he choose to hang in there for us.   He picked the harder way.   He demonstrates for us that the way of sacrifice for others is the best way to live this life.   It is the way God intends.

I watched my mother this week, in her own way, acting out the sacrificial love of Christ.   Though she was our guest, she was determined to be helpful.   Though loading the dishwasher took her three or four times as long as it would take for any one of us to do it, she insisted that we were busy and this was one thing she could do to help.

Instead of complaining about how tired she was after driving from N. Carolina, she said when she arrived last Saturday to get back in the car and drive over to see the church property because she knew how important it was to me.

Don’t get me wrong.   My mother is not perfect, she has an insatiable curiosity about people that occasionally leads her to over-involvement in people’s lives.  And she’s never seen a dessert that did not need to be tasted or a conversation that she could not extend.   But I am grateful for the unselfishness, kindness, and patience I see in her life and for how that has blessed me and many others.  

In the end, it is self-centered behavior that is our greatest temptation.   Whether our self-centered behavior comes from a self-estimation that is too low or too high, all of us are tempted to use the power we have to get our own needs met, rather than thinking first of others.

Jesus sets the example for us.   In the weakness of his time of testing, it would have been easier for him to fall back on self-oriented behavior, but he resisted the temptation to follow the deception of the devil, or the power of evil, however you prefer to imagine the powers than dissuade you from living according to your truest identity as God’s beloved child.

How does Jesus resist the tempter?   By quoting the words of God from scripture,    Jesus reminds the one who tells half-truths who He really is.   Every time the tempter lures him into the two-sided coin of self-doubting/self-proving with that word “IF”  Jesus demonstrates that God does not deal in such uncertainties.   God declares, “This is my beloved.   With him I am well-pleased.” 

With that line from God ringing in your ears, you too can resist temptation to be less than you are.   Those who live according to lusts of the flesh become less than they are.  Those who live to prove themselves to others rather than being authentic and secure in their identity become less than they truly are.  Those who abuse power to serve selfish interests rather than using power to benefit others become less than they really are.  

If you are insecure about whom you really are, start listening to God about that – not to the voices of the world who invite you to be less.   If you are a child of God, resist the temptation to be anything less than a Jesus follower, who serves the needs of others.

 

 

When Glory Shines

Transfiguration Sunday

Matthew 17:1-9                                                                           

2 March 2014

Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                                   

After our glorious afternoon at Peace last Sunday, when we dedicated this building and everything and everyone part of it, and this beautiful piece of land to God’s purposes, it was time to unwind, to slip away for a night with Richard for a belated birthday celebration with his brother Don.   We went to Tarpon Springs, the home of sponges and Greek food.   On Tuesday morning, I sat quietly in the pew in St Nicolas Greek Orthodox Church while Richard visited every icon in the sanctuary.  In that quiet moment of prayer in a church where I had no responsibility and could rest in God, I found God’s glory shining in the stained glass.  

But I have also found God’s glory shining here as we have feverishly prepared for Dedication and as we occasionally paused to smile at one another and marvel at the miracle of God’s provision of this place at just the right moment.   I have seen God’s glory as I have watched each of you give whatever gift God moved you to give – whether thousands of dollars to the Building Fund, or particular gifts to the Wish List or artwork or furniture, the gift of energy for tearing out walls or painting them, digging up stumps or planting flowers.   In all of these gifts, I see the glory of God.

For three months we have been packing and unpacking and fixing and celebrating God’s glory.   And not just the glorious gift of our own place, but the glory of God’s gift in you the people of Peace who have come together over eight years to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.   At presbytery on Thursday, a member of First Presbyterian, Sarasota, approached me to say how much she had appreciated our Dedication service, and she added, “You know, the worship was wonderful, but what really impressed me was the genuine warmth and authenticity of the people at Peace.  They made me feel truly welcome and comfortable.”   It is you who make this a place for God’s glory to be known by the way you build a community of peace and care for others.  

It is not the shining of stained glass windows but the shining of real lives with Christ’s love that makes the church a true church.

Come away with me now to hear the story of Christ’s great shining moment, when history collapses and past, present, and future collide.   Come away with me through a different kind of reflection on this text, one that is more right brain than left.

On the last Sunday of Epiphany as on the first, at the Baptism, God speaks from the clouds, declaring the truth that changes everything:  “This is my Beloved Son.”   Pay attention to him, be amazed, and don’t ever think you can cozy up too close to this amazing truth.”

Matthew 17:1-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

(New Revised Standard Version)

(Tune:  Of The Father’s Love)

Glory be to God the Father,
Glory be to Christ the Son,
Glory to the Holy Spirit.
Ever three and ever one.

When God becomes human, and humans become more divine through connection with the Spirit of Christ, that’s when glory shines.  

When newborns like Andy Thornton are gifted with a wonderful adoptive family, glory shines despite the heartache laced with relief in a birth mother who had the generosity of spirit to participate in that glory.

When red-shouldered hawks and deer and sandhill cranes come to live with us on the edge of these woods and water, that’s when God’s glory shines.  

When the musical notes come together into harmonious resonant sound and our spirits are stirred to connect with Holy Spirit, God’s glory shines.

When new friends speak harsh words but soon recognize the need for apologies and forgiveness, glory shines.

When youth come together and bear their souls, being vulnerable with one another and trusting in the love that exists between them and God, glory shines. 

When a conservative missionary village and a progressive but rooted new Presbyterian congregation become true brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ in one service of worship, glory shines.

When a church is born and landed by the generosity of sister churches and that new church pays it forward in dedication to support other new churches, glory shines.

When surgeries and therapies lead to better health and more functional ability or comfort…and when there is no surgery or therapy that works, but one can still face the morning with courage, give glory to God.

When new jobs are on the horizon where one can make a difference in the world, give glory to God.

When deep faith is born through patient waiting and believing that God’s promises are trustworthy, glory to God!

When two people, formerly a couple, set aside their own differences to make sure their children and their grandchildren feel their love, without competition or bitterness – glory.

When family and close friends come down to rest with us from the cold winds of the north and when we can escape the sultry heat of September to visit them…glory.

When church people care enough to reach out to those who are different, struggling, needy, and marginalized, because so did Jesus Christ, glory.

When teachers and leaders are understanding and inspiring while students and participants are listening and learning…glory

When a couple cares for a lost young man, wallowing in mental illness and substance abuse, when they care enough to go the extra mile, God’s glory is still shining in the darkness of unfulfilled hopes that may yet come to fruition.

When beans and rice and are lovingly packed week after week by a devoted few so that a desperate many may have a little on which to depend, glory lives.

When a mega warehouse chain store not only gives money to new churches but also steps up to give voice and power to the guy picking tomatoes, glory.

When church members all come rushing forward enthusiastically with their own gifts and ideas, and they make room for the opinions of others, glory.

When a Stephen Minister or Friend walks alongside one who is struggling and makes it easier by caring enough to take time to really listen, glory resounds all around.

When a ministry team or session of elders learns to work together fruitfully, aware that each person brings something valuable to the discussion and that the Spirit is at work in the group process, glory resounds.

When those who are single can find contentment in their singleness and those who are married can find contentment in the partner they have, glory to God. 

When we can recognize that a loving covenant between two adults that calls forth the best in each one is to be celebrated no matter who they are, God’s glory is seen. 

When a person with significant disabilities has the strength and determination to keep getting out in the world, despite the struggles of accessibility issues, God’s glory is seen.

When new ideas and dreams are born in Jesus and his disciples, while the traditions of Saints like Moses and Elijah are respected and honored, God’s glory is seen.

When followers of Christ are awed by God’s presence, more than they make  pronouncements in God’s name, glory to God.  

When they are more concerned with loving and caring for people, than judging them, glory to God.

When political leaders are willing to sit down and negotiate with others, relinquishing power for the sake of peaceful progress, glory. 

When people who are enthusiastic and want to build things because they are awed by God’s glory, like the disciples in this story, can step back and wait for God’s direction.  Glory.

When people who are afraid can hear the voice of Christ, saying “Do not fear” and then they see nothing else, only Jesus.  Glory.

When followers of Christ know when to talk of their remarkable experiences of the power of God and when to keep the Messianic secret.  Glory.

When their faces shine because the love of Jesus Christ has so filled their hearts and souls and minds, that it has to find a way out, even without saying much.  That’s glory.

Let us pray now, using this poem by Jan Richardson entitled, When Glory, A Blessing for Transfiguration Sunday.   (paintedprayerbook.com)

Let us pray:

That when glory comes, we will open our eyes, to see it.
That when glory shows up, we will let ourselves
be overcome, not by fear, but by the love, it bears.
That when glory shines, we will bring it, back with us
all the way, all the way, all the way down.

The Radical Call to Peacemaking

Dedication Day                     

Matthew 5:38-48                                                              
23 February 2014                          

Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                         

O Spirit of Truth, come to us, open our hearts and minds, so we may hear your Word of life and be renewed by your power, through Christ our Teacher, Savior, and Lord.

Most people in the world today agree that we need to reduce violence in our society, and if serious about this, we will deal with the roots of violence that exist within each of us.   We need to embrace 'inner disarmament,' reducing our own emotions of suspicion, doubt, hatred and hostility toward our brothers and sisters.  ― Dalai Lama XIV

The trouble is we think violence not my problem.  It is belongs to society or to some other group in society.   We do not even see how we condone it with certain attitudes of retaliation and self-defense.   “I don’t get mad.   I get even.”   “Do unto others first, before they do unto you.”  “Stand your ground, instead of standing down.”   Well, these words today from the Sermon on the Mount are a radical call to the opposite of all that retaliation mindset.   This is the call to radical peacemaking, to perfection, as Jesus calls it.  This is the kind of perfection that comes from being like Christ our God.

Matthew 5:38-48

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

³⁹ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.

But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;

⁴⁰ and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;

⁴¹ and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.

⁴² Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

 ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;

for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,

and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?

Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

(New Revised Standard Version)

When you decided to follow Jesus, you gave up rights and took on responsibilities.  You are called to die to self.  ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”  Jesus quotes the law of retaliation found in three Old Testament passages (Exod 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21). Some say that the Old Testament Law was savage, but actually, it was the beginning of mercy and an equalizer of justice. If I poke out his eye, he gets mine.  This law limited disproportionate revenge. In other words, people could only get back what they lost.  When wronged, we tend to line up forces of family and friends to retaliate. If a person cuts off my ear, I want to cut off his head. And if I cut off his head, his brother will kill me, and if he kills me, my brother will kill his brother, and pretty soon we have a clan war. Of course, Jesus’ teaching generally goes above and beyond the Law.   He declares, “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person…” The word translated “resist” in this context means “do not render evil for evil.” Jesus is talking about revenge, not self-preservation. He isn’t telling us to be weak and passive; He’s telling us not to be vindictive. Obviously, this is a high standard to live up to!  Christian discipleship is not for spiritual wimps!

Jesus provides four illustrations of what it means to not retaliate against an evil person.  In His first illustration he says, “but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” Jesus is not referring to a situation where another person is attempting to punch your lights out. He is speaking of a slap across the right cheek with the back of the right hand.   You see, in Jesus’ day a slap to one’s face was considered a gross insult.   It was among the most demeaning acts one could inflict on another person, but not a serious safety threat.  If you got hit with the back of a hand instead of being punched in the mouth, you could collect twice the damages because an insult was worse than an injury in Jesus’ honor-shame society. Even today, the Irish often say, “The back of my hand to you,” which means, “You are scum.”   So let’s be clear:  we are not encouraging our children to be beat up by bullies nor our women to be battered by husbands.  Nor should we stand by and watch while an innocent person is attacked. When necessary, you should seek to protect yourself, your family members, and victims of injustice and cruelty. But what Jesus is saying is this: When someone insults you, do not seek revenge. You should not trade insults, even if it means you receive more insults.

Jesus instructs His disciples that if someone tries to sue for their shirt, they should let him have their “coat” as well. This cloak was the outer robe, which was an indispensable piece of clothing that the poor used for a sleeping cover.  It was possible in Jesus’ day to sue others for the very shirt on their backs. However, no one could take another’s cloak. So even if you lost your shirt in court, and your opponent asked for your cloak and won it, he had to return it every evening for you to sleep in. That was the law.   Evidently, Jesus was giving advice to the poor among His followers—those who had been reduced to the garments on their backs because of persecution for their faith.   His teaching is simply this: “As they sue you (no doubt falsely) for your shirt and win it, give them your cloak too, even though they cannot legally take it.” Jesus makes a startling demand of His disciples. They must reverse the dynamic and disrupt the unjust power structure.

Jesus’ third illustration is “go the extra mile.”  In the first century, Roman soldiers had the authority to force civilians to carry their loads for one mile.  Obviously, the Jews held to the letter of the law on this. They counted every single step. When they got to one thousand they stopped, put down the pack, and left the Roman to carry his own load or find another victim. The Jews despised the Romans making them carry their loads. I can just see some slave saying, “Fine. I may have to carry this soldier’s stuff, but I’ll be sure to drop it in the mud when I get to end of that mile.  Jesus says, “Give your opponent more than he has the right to demand.  Ask him, ‘Is there anything else I can do to help you?’” You should demonstrate a humble servant’s heart and cheerfully go beyond what is expected or demanded.

In Jesus’ fourth illustration he says,  “Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn away from someone who wants to borrow from you.” This illustration has to do with the law of lending.   In Deuteronomy 15, we learn that debts were canceled every seven years. The borrowers loved this. The lenders were not quite so enthusiastic. If I was a lender and someone came to me for a loan in the sixth year, I would think twice before giving it to him. If he didn’t pay it off quickly, my loan would turn into a gift. The closer the seventh year got, the more tightfisted they became. But Jesus said they were not to allow the seventh year to govern them. Whenever a person had a need, God’s people were to give generously. After all, the people in Jesus’ day were not asking for home-improvement loans. They needed money for food. In our day and age, it does not mean that a Christian banker should never refuse a loan application, no matter how bad a person’s credit report looks.   Nor should you be compelled to loan money to irresponsible people again and again, even if you know they won’t make an effort to pay it back?  No.

It is tax season.   Do you like paying taxes? Many Americans resent it.  The government supports all kinds of social programs that feed, house, and educate the poor.  I wonder if Jesus would suggest that in addition to paying your taxes with gladness that you also pay the second dollar by giving your time and your money through church to projects that feed, house, and educate the poor. 

The primary way you demonstrate that you are Christ’s disciple is by your love for others, particularly your enemies.  Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Here, love is not simply praised, it is commanded.  This requires supernatural strength. It has been said, “To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine.” Now if you have been raped or molested, you don’t have to be friends with your enemy – that could be unhealthy and dangerous.  Biblical agape love requires that you are concerned about the welfare of even your enemies. This means that you will do things that will benefit and not harm them.

How do you know if you really love your enemy? You can be confident that you love your enemy when you pray for him or her.   Start praying today for that person whom you despise.  Why should you love your enemies?  “so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven; who causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” And you are probably thinking, “Wait a second, I thought I already was a son or daughter of God.” The focus of this verse is not on attaining a relationship with God, but rather on being a person who shares the characteristics of God. That is the meaning of the Semitic idiom “son of.” We would say, “Like father, like son.” We say of a son, “He’s a chip off the old block.” Of a daughter we say, “She’s the spittin’ image of her mother.” When you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, you are like God who is so gracious that He gives good things even to those who rebel against Him.

Jesus poses two pairs of rhetorical questions that get to the heart of the matter. He says, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet [bless] only your sisters and brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” Jesus declares that friendship with one’s friends is nothing exceptional. Everyone does that…even the tax collectors who in Jesus’ day were despised because they worked for the Roman government.  They were viewed as traitors. 

But is there something about your love that cannot be explained in natural terms? Is there something special and unique about your love that will make people wonder about you?

Jesus concludes this passage with the summary: “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Jesus makes it clear that the goal of Christianity is perfection. You are called to be like Jesus, the only one who lived a perfect life.

Mahatma Gandhi studied Christianity in England and was impressed with Jesus, but never became a Christian because he wasn’t impressed by faith of the Christians he met.  Gandhi tried to incorporate Jesus’ wisdom into his own life.   Civil war broke out between the Muslims of Pakistan and the Hindus of India. Gandhi is lying on a cot after weeks of fasting in protest to this war, when he is approached by a distraught Hindu man.  His only son, still a little boy, has been shot and killed in the conflict. His heart is full of sadness, bitterness, and revenge. Gandhi can barely speak, but tells the man how to heal his own heart. “Find a little Muslim boy whose father has been killed. Take that boy as your son, and raise him as a Muslim.” The Hindu man walks away completely disappointed.  Apparently he thought the weeks of fasting had weakened Gandhi’s ability to reason. It made no sense.  This was the radical kind of peacemaking that Gandhi learned from Jesus.    And this is kind of radical peacemaking to which we are called.

 (indebted to Keith Krell at www.bible.org for the Biblical exegesis and the Gandhi illustration)               

Integrity in Relationships

6th Sunday after Epiphany

Matthew 5:21-30

16 February 2014

Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                                   

Well, 150 million Valentine’s cards have been exchanged, and the average American has spent $130 dollars to celebrate romantic love.  But are we building integrity in our relationships or is this a rather empty display, an attempt to make up for short-comings or a short-lived fantasy?   We are not entirely sure who the original St Valentine was.   Some say he was a 3rd century Roman bishop who got in trouble for conducting weddings of young couples when the Emperor wanted to keep young soldiers single and focused.  So Valentine was thrown in prison, where he healed the jailor’s daughter, and left her a love note when he died, signed “your Valentine.”   It was in the 18th century England that Valentines card production exploded.  Valentines have every kind of image imaginable now, but Cupid, the ancient mythological god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection is one of the earliest image for Valentine’s cards.   Some would say “cupid is stupid” but I say that Cupid (this attraction/affection) gives us the courage to enter a relationship.   What’s stupid is thinking that attraction/affection can sustain a relationship. 

You know what Richard and I watch on Valentine’s Day?   The French film Amour.   Sounds so romantic, but guess what it is about? It is the painfully slow story of how an old man takes care of his dying wife.   It wasn’t very exciting but it was an interesting look at love.   Jesus calls us to a higher love than romantic affection.  He calls us to agape, the love that gives and forgives.   In the section of the Sermon on the Mount we are reading, Jesus challenges us to apologize and forgive, and to keep our relationships whole by keeping our eyes, minds, and hearts in the right place.   Jesus is speaking to his disciples about right relatedness.   He is not really talking about couples.   He’s talking about Christian community.  In the verses just prior to this teaching, Jesus said to his disciples, “I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.”  He says, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

I believe he is talking about a kingdom here and now, a realm that we can live in, if we live like Christ.   He goes on to explain what he means about fulfilling the law.   He wants the disciples to understand the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.  

Matthew 5:21-30

"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

(New Revised Standard Version)

We want easier answers.   We want to be able to justify ourselves by saying, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”   “I never killed anyone.   I never had an affair. ”   But Jesus says that it is not so much what we did wrong but what we did right.   Did we say we were sorry?   Did we make amends?   Did we forgive?   Did we cultivate love or did we allow our minds to wander away from real love to some image on a computer screen or television?

If we really want to love, we have to learn how to forgive.  (Mother Teresa)  The first to apologize is the bravest.   The first to forgive is the strongest.  The first to forget is the happiest.   Of course forgetting means laying it aside, not having amnesia.  Forgiveness is not forgetting an injustice done.   It is an understanding that allows us to set aside the emotional impact of that injustice.  When we no longer hold these emotions, and when we have understanding for the person, then we have forgiven them.

Anyone can hold a grudge, but it takes a person with character to forgive.   When you forgive, you release yourself from a painful burden.   Forgiveness does not mean that what happened was okay or that the person is welcome in your life, but that you have made peace with the pain and are ready to let it go.

Apologizing does not mean you’re wrong and the other person is right.   It means you value the relationship more than your ego.   I have seen and have participated myself in so many debates in family and church where ego gets in the way.   Usually both sides have some piece of what is right, which is why we must move away from determining who is at fault, to empathy, to identify our own and others’ needs.   We must understand that everyone has a need for belonging, purpose, meaning, integrity, and love.   When these are threatened, we often respond with anger or distance.   But the best way to move through conflict -- whether between parent and child, or a couple, or two members of a church) is to identify and try to meet needs.   There can still be irresolvable differences, but the process of handling those is much less hurtful when needs are respected.

Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you are.   Forgiveness takes a lot of energy and self-awareness, but bitterness will truly take the life out of you, and leave you in a hell of sorts.   The word Jesus used was for a real place of dead bodies.   As you are coming forward today to receive communion, lay down your bitterness.   Let it go.   It’s not that you are saying they are more right than you.   It is that you value life and right-relationships more than you value your own ego.  

You can identify their needs and have empathy for them, and so you stop rewinding the event to churn yourself up again.   You stop re-playing that video – the one in which you were right but got hurt.   You start looking forward instead of backward.   To call someone a fool is to demean their humanity and land yourself in hell here and now, Jesus says.   It is better to lose part of yourself than for your whole self to land in the place of the dead.  We need integrity – holding the whole thing together.   Being the same person inside and outside.   Being the same person no matter where you are or who is watching you or checking your internet history. 

The thing about unresolved anger and lustful, wandering, unfaithfulness in relationships is that much of this is unseen.  If you kill someone, everyone knows.   If you commit adultery, it usually comes out.   But bitterness and unfaithful desires can be hidden from everyone.   Internet porn is doing unspecified damage to relationships everywhere.   No one but you and God know, but it slowly poisons.   We had a friend, who ended his own life because of despair over ruined relationships due to an addiction to porn.   The scary thing about undiscovered ills is that they have greater power to diminish us than exposed ones.  

I’m not recommending that you announce all your lustful thoughts or grudges. But I am saying that when your anger or lust stirs up, take a serious inventory of your feelings and needs, and how you might get your needs met without hurting or objectifying other people.   Think about their needs too.   Even as someone is expressing anger toward you, you can be helpful by trying to hear their needs rather than their criticism.   Real love, you know, is not a feeling, it cares about feelings, it identifies feelings, and responds to feelings with responsible behavior.   To love God and love neighbor cannot be reduced to a set of rational rules.  It’s a life of relational integrity – of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.   It is a life of peacemaking – of one another-ing, of doing the messy work of caring for real people (not fantasy people) real people with real problems just like you.   Real love works to appreciate another’s perspective.   It asks for forgiveness and offers forgiveness.   Integrity – real love lived out in all the relationships of life.

"The Service of Worship"

Epiphany 5

Isaiah 58:1-9
9 February 2014
Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                                   

You have come to a service of worship.   That’s what Protestants and Jews call their gathering to worship God.   A worship service.   Catholics call it mass, and Orthodox Christians call it the Divine Liturgy.   But we call it a worship service.   We serve up worship and you, the consumer, go down the buffet line and take what you want of it, whatever might taste good or be nourishing or whatever.   Right?   No, wrong.   It is a service of worship because worship and service are inter-related.   Isaiah would have us hear that worship cannot be disconnected from service.   To seek to worship God without caring for others is futile.   In the first letter of John we read “if you do not love a brother or sister whom you can see, you cannot love God, who you cannot see.”   So loving God and loving others go hand-in-hand.   I think Jesus called those two the great commandment.   

Last week we read the Beatitudes and thought about what it means to have our value system turned upside down.   We heard the challenge of Micah to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.   This week’s reading from Isaiah builds on that.   Isaiah spells that out what doing justice and loving kindness look like and says that any humility that isn’t connected to justice and kindness is false humility – false worship.

Hear these words of the Prophet Isaiah:  Isaiah 58:1-9

Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. ² Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. ³ "Why do we fast, but you do not see?  Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?" Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. ⁴ Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. ⁵ Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
⁶ Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? ⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. 

(New Revised Standard Version)

The primary role of prophets was to call God’s people to repentance, to demand their return to obedience and to remind the people what it means to live lives in keeping with the covenant. The opening command from God to Isaiah in 58:1 is, therefore, the most basic job description of a prophet: Shout out, do not hold back, raise your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.

But what a shock to hear what the sin is!   God through the prophet challenges a fundamental act of worship – fasting and prayer.    Why do you come to me, fasting and praying to draw near to me, when your action toward others is not just and kind?   The people were so caught up their rituals that they forgot the spiritual meaning of worship.   ”The Hebrew people were caught worshiping worship. Not only are these worshipers convinced that acts of praise and worship evidence extreme faithfulness; they are more than a bit peeved that despite all these ritualized, public displays of devotion, God has not seen fit to answer their prayers.”  (Elizabeth Sweet, esermons.com)  

They have become competitive and very showy with their fasting – perhaps the way churches compete with their Outreach events and worship attendance numbers.   You know the real bottom line with God is whether lives are being changed – not whether bodies showed up to feel good about themselves.

This dilemma of false worship is seen sometimes when the pastor of a church gets too busy with all the tasks of church life that she forgets the primary role of a pastor is to love God and the people of God.   That’s been a bit of a challenge lately around here, as we have been so caught up in settling into our building and all that we need to accomplish to make this a good church home, that we forget that the most important ingredient in a home is love.    Are we preparing this home for the purposes of sharing Christ’s love or are we preparing this home so we can be more proud of how it looks?

Isaiah does not stop with challenging their false worship – fasting for the wrong reasons --  to get from God what they wanted.   He goes on to tell them what faithful devotion to God entails and it is a radical message.

You want to worship me?   You want to bow down and humbly with me?   You want to serve me?   Well, you have to care a lot more than you do about poor people.   Caring for people who are oppressed, hungry, homeless, poor means more than a little charity.   It means real compassion.   To really care is to seek change.   Like the homeless person who sits on the street saying keep your coins, I want change.

Well, this is when we all get very defensive because we know how complicated it is to really care.   It is complicated and messy.   Like last week when someone stopped for help here, and no matter how many episodes of “Lie to Me” I have watched and tried to learn all of Dr. Lightman’s tricks of the trade, I still cannot know for sure when a person seeking help is giving me a true story or a fabricated one to illicit my sympathy.  

So I err on the side of generosity, because I always have Matthew 25 going off in my head, “I was hungry, and you fed me.   I was in prison and you visited me….whenever you did it for the least of these my brethren you did it for me.”   So I pray and I ask questions and I get names and a story, and I try to witness to the love of God in my response.   But what they really need is not a hand-out but real change, and that’s where it gets difficult.

Isaiah also challenges his people for hiding from their kin.   That one struck home for me yesterday as I came home from the work day on the property and the Outreach Team meeting afterwards, and all I wanted to do was sit by myself and work on my sermon.   I was wanting to hide emotionally and physically from my kin, and I ended up being rude, and God was not pleased, and cannot be pleased with any sermon work that forces me to be rude to my family.   One can be clear about personal needs without collapsing into unkindness.

Isaiah promises that God will richly bless and answer the prayers of those who abide by the spirit of the law of love.   He says the light will break forth like the dawn and that healing will spring up quickly when our worship leads to service.   This is why we must not allow ourselves in this season of building fixation to forget that we are here to worship and to serve.   We are here not just to be charitable, to toss a little money at those in need, but to be willing to seek justice for the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed.   Maybe it means marching with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers or writing letters on their behalf.   Maybe it means adding showers so that we can be more hospitable toward the homeless and be part of a new effort at Family Promise.  

Maybe it means we will increase our giving to mission to more than 10% in the next five years, even while we are so consumed with our need for a sanctuary.

Peace is already a generous church.   We give away 10% every year.   Let us never grow weary of giving.  But we must remember that charity is no substitute for justice. Charity gives but justice changes.   It changes the lives of the poor for the good in a more lasting way.   

Justice sends a girl to school who can’t afford it, knowing that education will be empowerment.  Justice lends, expecting nothing in return, to entrepreneur in a developing country.   Justice demands that free markets begin to make room for the poor to sell their products at competitive rates  Justice insists that a fair wage is a fair wage, even if people will work for less.  Charity just a band-aid when structures in our corporate and political world prevent real change. 

“The highest form of charity involves a just relationship. In fact it stops being charity and becomes partnership with those who are in need.”   (by Brett Blair with Leonard Sweet, esermons.com)

“A just society must be the achievement of politics, not of the Church. Yet the promotion of justice through efforts to bring about openness of mind and will to the demands of the common good is something which concerns the Church deeply.”  (Pope Benedict)

As the head of a rescue mission once said, “Our biggest problem with Christians is that they all want to help the poor and speak out about generosity toward the poor.  They want to give gifts to the poor — especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But you can shake a stick at the number of Christians who come here wanting a relationship with the poor.”   More than one billion people worldwide live on less than $1 a day.  We need to reshape the way we help people; strengthening the poor so they can take control, solve their own problems, and rely on themselves in ways that dignified their existence.  

So let’s keep worshiping God, and let’s keep taking up special offerings for the poor, and let’s keep putting away at least 10% to help people beyond ourselves.  But let’s also make sure that we are interested in being authentic relationship with the poor and those who are marginalized in our society, who are children of God just like we are.  And let us make sure our worship leads us to authentic service out of a deep respect for the humanity and dignity of the other person.