The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany --- 23 February 2014

Matthew 5:38-48

"You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. "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, 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 

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

• Once again, we hear from Matthew's version of the sermon on the mount and it is all hard to hear. It seems to go against human nature. Turn the other cheek? Give up your coat? Go the second mile? Love your enemies? Really... who wants to do that?
• I've actually heard that these actions are really tactics to turn the tables on the powerful oppressors. If you turn you other cheek, the one who slapped you now has to use the other hand and is himself dishonoured. If the occupation forces require you to carry supplies a mile, take the load two miles and keep someone else free to do something else. Love your enemies and in doing so heap burning coals on their heads. (Paul said that in his letter to the Romans.) Despite what Paul says this all seems less than loving and it can sound what psychology people call “passive-aggressive.”
• Still we are called to love our enemies, to forgive those who hate us and even pray for those who act against us. It does not seem realistic or sensible or even doable.
• Of course, it is not realistic or sensible or doable if we have to do it on our own. The Gospel message is that we don't have to do it on our own! We rely on grace for the fulfilment of what God wishes.
• So we have the exhortation Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
• Of course, these appears at first glance to be an exhortation or even a commandment to be perfect. The pursuit of perfection is something beyond our comprehension and surely beyond our grasp. We might go so far as to say that perfection is impossible for us. So we're left with what looks like a command of Jesus that cannot be fulfilled. If we take it seriously, it is obvious the game is rigged since we can't be perfect. If we take it lightly, we might think that Jesus is kidding and saying something that cannot be and maybe all the rest of the things he said cannot be taken seriously.
• There must be something else. If we look at what else Jesus tells us in this passage from Matthew we see that expectations are turned around and even turned upside down. Violent attacks are not reciprocated and responded to in kind. Enemies are to be loved and prayed for. Maybe perfection in this instance is something else, something turned upside-down or inside-out.
• The example of loving your enemies is Jesus, who went so far as to forgive those who crucified him. We say quite often that the love of God is best shown in the death of Jesus for all of us, that the Father's love is shown best in the vulnerability of Jesus we see best in the crucifixion and in his becoming human like us with all our failings.
• To be perfect “as your Heavenly Father is perfect” does not mean to become a perfect person; that's far beyond our reach. No matter how good we might become, we remain broken, imperfect, fallible human beings. We cannot achieve perfection. This is no secret, but something we all know.
• We know ourselves best. Were we to become perfect, we'd probably chalk it up to our own resources and abilities. We might think that we are like God, and maybe even equal to God. But if we let ourselves “off the hook” and give up, we would give up the struggle. Instead we turn it around as Jesus did.
• God's way of perfect love is to be imperfect and vulnerable, as Jesus showed himself to be. To be perfect is to open ourselves up and be vulnerable with the possibility of being hurt somehow. That is what God did (and does) in Jesus.
• For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Jesus uses the example of the outcasts in Jewish society – tax collectors and Gentiles – to show that loving those who love you is no great feat. Loving those who DON'T love you is quite a different story. And that story is told best in Jesus' incarnation and crucifixion... and resurrection.
• The Lord knows this is not easy, nor is it accomplished in a short time, nor it it accomplished perfectly. The grace of God makes up for our failings, for God's love is greater than our failings and greater than our love. God's grace is what lets us love the unlovable, the hateful, and the ones who don't love us. To be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect is only possible in the life of grace and that is what Jesus is gently and constantly calling us all to.
• 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, 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany --- 16 February 2014

Matthew 5:21-37

"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not murder'; and "whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' 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. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 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. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 

"You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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. 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. 

"It was also 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. 

"Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "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, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be "Yes, Yes' or "No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one. 

With regard to the following Scriptural passage, I added a comment somewhat like this:

• Does anyone here know the name “Theodor Geisel”?
• Maybe you know him by his pen-name, Dr. Seuss? 
• If you've ever read his story “Horton Hatches an Egg”, - and the story was read to ME a long time ago- you may remember this repeated line: "I meant what I said,/ and I said what I meant./ An elephant's faithful, one hundred per cent!"

Let your word be "Yes, Yes' or "No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one. 

• I like to begin my addresses with an appropriate passage from scripture as a sort of base on which to build or a launch pad from which to start our journey through the Scripture. There's so much here in Matthew today that I wasn't sure where to start.
• The passage we heard today is still part of the Sermon on the Mount and that sermon goes far beyond the Beatitudes. In fact, there are things in the passage today that make me uncomfortable. Believe it or not, that's a good thing. If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not challenging us and making us uncomfortable, we're just not listening or we're not taking the Gospel seriously.
• Jesus uses a formula in his sermon; You have heard that it was said... But I say to you that... In this instance, it is very tough stuff. He takes on a number of controversial topics – controversial in his day and in ours. Insults, anger, temptation and how to avoid it, truth-telling and oaths, even divorce. In teaching this, Jesus is fulfilling the Law, not destroying it. He goes to the root of the Law and what he says is radical in the best sense of the word. (By the way, “radical” comes from the Latin word for “root.”) Jesus has told his disciples that unless their righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, they will not be part of the Kingdom of Heaven. The scribes and the Pharisees studied intently and knew how to keep the letter of the Law but in fact often missed the spirit of the Law in toeing the line of the letter.
• In this repeated formula – you have heard... but I say...-, Jesus is calling his disciples (and us as his disciples in our own time) to not only change their actions but change their minds and thoughts as well. Jesus is radicalizing the observance of the Law by saying in effect “act this way because your new heart and new life require it.” and not simply because the Law demands such action.
• Such a radical teaching brings the disciples back to the original reason that God gave the Law of Moses to the Israelites in the first place. It outlined righteous behaviour in order to inspire a righteous life. Jesus is telling his disciples that such a righteous life requires a change of mind and heart. Paul puts it this way in his letter to the Galatians: For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
• This change of heart and mind – simply said – is repentance, which was Jesus' first word in preaching the Good News - Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near!
• Don't believe for a second that Jesus is glossing over actions and deeds and the outward behaviour of human beings. That is not true at all! A righteous life requires righteous action, although not self-righteous action.
• He's saying that there is more to the Kingdom of Heaven than appearances. There are always those who appear perfect and righteous and follow the letter of the Law without being changed in their inner-most hearts. But what is in the heart will find its way out through the hands and feet and speech. The renewal of heart will be accompanied by a renewal of behaviour and actions as sure as day follows night.
• {By the way, those uncomfortable references to sexuality and divorce are meant to take the side of women who had no say in such things. It may be a little difficult for us to understand, but it comes somewhat clearer when you realize the status of women in Jesus' time and culture. Many commentators say that Jesus' mention of this in such severe terms upholds the dignity of women and decries the attitude that makes them “throw-away” people, an attitude that some insisting on the letter of the law would cling to.}
• Were we to look at the history of Christianity, we'd find that there are a number of ways to describe this change of heart and mind. Some call it renewal, while others call it repentance. John the Evangelist calls it “being born again.”
• It would take a new life to do what Jesus calls us all to in today's Gospel. The rooting-up of anger, insult, lust, lies, or the abusive attitudes that degrade people cannot be done by any other means but grace. And as before we return to grace as the mean by which all things in the Kingdom of Heaven are done.
• This grace leads us to be people of integrity, of faith and fidelity, of truth. Grace calls us to be people who respect those around us, no matter who they are. Grace impels us to be people who show the world a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven, even if the glimpse is a faulty and imperfect one. This is what Jesus called his first disciples to be and this is what Jesus calls his 21^st century disciples to be, and that includes us.

A few upcoming events

Tuesday, March 5 - Shrove Tuesday pancake supper in the downstairs fellowship hall. Come and join us and eat your fill before Lent. A free will offering will be accepted.

Ash Wednesday service will be held with Trinity Anglican Church at St. John's on Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30pm. Pastor John will lead the service and Fr. Robert Clifford will preach.

The Lenten Bible Study will begin on Wednesday, March 12 here at St. John's at 12:00 noon and will continue until April 16. The topic will be "The Parables in Matthew." The first three sessions (March 12, 19, & 16) will be held at St. John's and the next three (April 2, 9, &16) will be held at Trinity Anglican Church. Make this part of your Lenten discipline; come and share lunch and Scripture with your sisters and brothers!

The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany --- 9 February 2014

{We had a light but lively turn-out at the service today. The continual snow kept folks away. So I went a head with the sermon, but instead of just talking, I asked for responses, like "What is salt used for? What are our sources of light?" It made it more fun that way.}

Matthew 5:13-20

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 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. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?

• Jesus uses two very common items as metaphors in his preaching to his disciples. He says they are salt and light. When we listen to his preaching as it is put down in the Gospel, Jesus says to us that we are salt and light.
• So what is salt? What is it used for? How important is it?
• We've all been around salt all our lives. It's so common, we don't often think about it. We use it in quite a few ways. Some of us have been told to avoid it because of what it can do to our health, but do you realize what our lives would be like without it?
• We use salt to flavour our food and to preserve our food. We use it to melt the ice in our streets and driveways and to provide traction for our cars. Salt can be put in a wound; It will hurt like crazy but it will clean the wound as well, so it has a healing property about it. A friend of mine uses salt and ice cubes to clean the coffee pots at his restaurant.
• There is the simple fact that the human body cannot live without salt. Some of us need it less than others and some of us have difficulties with salt which can lead to high blood pressure and being watchful about how much salt we take in. Yet without salt, we would not maintain good health. You need it for your nerves, your muscles, and also to keep water in your cells.
• You are the salt of the earth
• Jesus also says You are the light of the world. So as we said before - What is light? What is it used for? How important is it?
• Light is what we use to see, whether it is the light of the sun, of a fire, of electric lights. Without light, we could not live. Even a blind person, who has learned to do so much without light needs light for those who help them get around. This is how we are built; the human eye is attracted to light even at great distances and light can be seen over great distances when the world is dark.
• All of us use light to see, to read, to move, to signal, and even to capture and use as power. Our bodies even need it to manufacture certain vitamins and some people suffer terribly because of shorter days and less sunlight in the seasons like winter.
• In Jesus' day, both salt and light were very valuable commodities. Salt was even used as money. Our word “salary” come from the root of the word for salt and in many places people were paid in salt since it was so valuable and negotiable. Light in Jesus' day was the light of the sun or small lamps or candles, neither of which were anywhere near as powerful as the light of the sun. Work could be done only when the sun shone. This was how it was up to the time when electric lights became more widespread.
• Now salt and light don't stand alone. Neither salt nor light exist for themselves. Both salt and light only serve their purpose when they are poured out. Salt by itself is a chemistry lesson. Light by itself can only be noticed if there is someone to see it.
• Jesus says we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. These sound like good things. But we aren't either for our own sakes. We aren't called to be Christians because it's a good thing and it's a great club to belong to. We're called to be light and salt for the world. Something to catch the eye, shining for all to see the grace of God in us... seasoning the world, preserving what is good, healing the wounds that life often brings, even giving traction when that is what is needed. We are most what we are called to be when we are poured out and used for what we are called to.
• Jesus goes on to say No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. This may sound silly, but we are made the light of the world in grace to be shown, that is, we are to show God's grace rather than ourselves. And we all know that the world is in constant need of God's grace. But grace is a funny thing. We can't see it or touch it or hear it as grace. The usual way we know it is when we experience it in those around us. The turn-about is true: the only way others know it would be when it is seen in us. To put it another way, we may be the only Gospel some people might see.
• In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany --- 2 February 2014

Micah 6:8

 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? 

1 Corinthians 1:25

For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. 

Matthew 5:2-3

Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

• The prophet Micah asked this question in a time long ago, and the question still echoes today. People still ask how they can please God and even how they can appease God and stay on God's good side.
• If we look closely, all three readings today are on just about the same topic: how do we please God? Is it even possible to please God?
• The passage from Micah is quite well known. The last verse is a favourite of many Christians. However, what that verse is in response to is not so well known. The Lord has a bone to pick with his people since they have forgotten all he has done for them. Then the prophet asks how the people can make it up to the Lord. Will sacrifice do it? Herds of calves and rams? Huge amounts of olive oil and grain? Even the sacrifice of children? With the exception on human sacrifice, Israel already did these things and the people around them did regularly sacrifice their children to their gods.
• Instead and a bit unexpectedly, Micah reminds the people how they are to worship the Lord – live in justice, engage in mercy and kindness, and “walk humbly with your God” or, as we might say, live your lives in humility and awe before God, always keeping God in everything you do. This is what the Lord asks rather than empty ritual or self-centred attempts to placate an idol rather than the true God.
• In his letter, Paul says what might be unexpected as well. He tells the Corinthians, who appear to be looking for wisdom or signs, we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. Those who would seek God in earthly wisdom will be disappointed and those who demand signs will be given signs they don't like or reject, namely the cross of Christ. Paul holds that “God's foolishness” is wiser and stronger than any human wisdom or strength. What earthly wisdom and strength have rejected turns out to be more powerful and saving than anything conceived of by the human mind. God will not be confined by our expectations or our preconceived notions or even our meagre understanding.
• Our Gospel reading today is Matthew's version of what we often call the Sermon on the Mount. We know the listing found there are often referred to as the Beatitudes, since they start with the phrase, “Blessed are...”
• The first of these Beatitudes sets the stage for the rest: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This flies in the face of the common understanding of the time that the poor were cursed and the rich were the ones with blessing. Again Jesus takes shows the power and wisdom of God, seen by many as foolishness and weakness, to be wise beyond measure and strong beyond understanding.
• All these readings, whether they speak of the way to walk with God, the acceptance of the cross, or the redefinition of who is blessed and what it means to be blessed, speak of the reign of God or the kingdom of God, whichever title you might prefer. The speak of what is to come and they speak of what is here right now. God's kingdom has come near, as last week's Gospel said, and the blessing of the poor, the mourning, the merciful, and all those mentioned in the sermon on the mount are present now. The foolishness and weakness of God bringing salvation and enlightenment are present now. The prophet's words of walking with God in humility, justice, and mercy are with us now.
• So how do we please God? We'd best start our answer by saying that God takes joy in his creation and in creating. Really we have to turn the question around and work from the “God side.” The proper question then becomes “Who are the blessed ones of God?” The Scripture answers this question in no uncertain terms. The answer may go against conventional wisdom and the ways of power, but the answer should! For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
• He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
• Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Live as one created by God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, enlivened by the Spirit, and grateful for the whole thing and God will be pleased.