Gospel Readings: Matthew 22:34-40 and Luke 6:20-31
Sermon
- Before election day, I wanted to pick a text that would be grounding enough to hold up no matter how things played out in the election.
- I picked the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments
- Then I chucked the Ten Commandments and went for the Big Two: the ones Jesus himself chose as primary, the two “pegs” that old all the other laws and commandments up.
- The two commandments Jesus lifted up were about who we give our ultimate loyalty to:
- God
- And neighbor
- The Beatitudes are very different than commandments;
- These sayings of Jesus are a counter-cultural characterization of what it means to live as followers of Christ.
- He lift up the poor, the hungry, the persecuted- all the “losers” in the world—much the way his mother Mary did when she sang the Magnificat.
- And then, even more challenging, the teachings about turning the other cheek, giving away your coat and loving the enemy;
- these responses seem impossible to anyone who has faced the worst kinds of violence, abuse, greed or persecution;
- Maybe some of you just cannot integrate these teachings into your being because of experiences with abuse or violence.
- But others may hear these teachings as unrealistic because you’ve given up Jesus’ seemingly utopian vision.
- Fear and cynicism may close people off to the Good News.
- Some have given up, and now just accept that we live in a violent, dog eat-dog world.
- Jesus’ sayings have not stopped being subversive, even to us.
- When you listened to these scriptures this morning, through the lens of the past week what stood out to you?
- The Church, in its integrity, has always been a place for losers, the small, the weak, the vulnerable, the persecuted and overlooked.
- When we identified with the strong and powerful, we have not been at our best, to say the least!
- Identifying with the losers, is what the cross signifies for us, and why it makes us so uncomfortable!
- We are even meant to identify with our enemies
- It’s not that we like losing, but that we try to view the world through the eyes of Christ,
- And the losers were the people Jesus most paid attention to.
- So, if we continue to align ourselves with the losers of the world, what should we be doing next at this time in our nation and world?
- That’s what we each need to consider as we move out of our various stages of shock and grief or numb denial
- And the answer will be different for everyone. There’s no one “right answer” (although there are a few wrong answers)
- And we should be careful not to judge each other for what we choose to do next
- The Church, in its integrity, has always been a place for losers, the small, the weak, the vulnerable, the persecuted and overlooked.
- I would suggest:
- Staying grounded in prayer –
- I prayed election night only because my sister texted me too; we were both afraid to turn on the TV
- I sat in the dark asking God questions for a long time
- Then I looked out at the dark through the window, I saw layered darkness and clouds:
- Fog on the ground
- Moving clouds up above
- Dark in between
- And then, the clouds blew off and some bright stars appeared as I watched;
- And then they disappeared behind more clouds
- we’re not always going to see the stars;
- But they’re still there. Hope is still there.
- It just gets obscured sometimes.
- I’m not a disciplined prayer warrior, but I recommend making a practice of meditation and prayer; it always surprises me!
- Find your own way of continuing to love and care for the world and the people in it
- I can tell some of you are fatigued;
- But I’ve been remembering something Fred or Mary said in our first pre election Zoom in October:
- that they were just continuing to knock on doors, working on policy in Minnesota that can impact and strengthen your state’s resilience in turbulent times.
- In other words, they just keep showing up to do the advocacy work they’ve always done, through decades of good and bad presidents;
- But your response may not be to engage in direct action or policy making and that’s okay
- Maybe in your work you are guiding children or young adults
- Engaged in acts of healing or making meaningful art
- God is holding out a way for you, uniquely, to accept your calling to respond to the brokenness in the world
- Staying grounded in prayer –
- Have any of you gotten to the point of thinking about how you will respond to the changes happening around us after this week?
- Anything new you want to learn or do because of what’s happening in our country?
- Or any new resolve to do what you’ve always done?
- Or a need to step back and do some healing and rest and reassessment?
- Finally, whatever you do, find community: don’t be alone in your fear; don’t fear your neighbors or your leaders or even your enemies.
- I spent election night working the polls in an atmosphere where I may have been the only Democrat.
- I had some mixed feelings about that!
- But we don’t’ talk about our party affiliation.
- They’re my neighbors!! Our kids grew up together in 4H!
- We worked together for a common purpose and made it possible for 800 voters, many for the first time, to vote in an election.
- I can’t be their enemies! I have to work with them.
- A last thought:
- We will not build the reign of Christ by our own political power or elbow grease!
- At some point, we have to admit that we are powerless without God’s power,
- and renew our trust that we don’t have to do this alone.
- I want to share one message I received from my conference minister in the very purple Wisconsin Conference UCC, the Rev. Franz Rigert.
- He makes the case that we should never expect government to do our bidding.
- Listen to his words:
-
If anything is clear, we know our political system is neither structured nor willing to advance the notion of beloved community. The ideals of listening earnestly, loving generously, and compromising for the sake of unity are largely absent in the political arena. But they shine brightly in the Gospel we read and the God we serve.
- In other words, it is up to us in the church to model for the world and the public square what it means to live in beloved community.
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