June 1, 2008
Third Sunday of Pentecost
Pastor Lynne Lorenzen
Deuteronomy 11.18-21, 26-28 Romans 1.16-17; 3.22b-31 Matthew 7.21-29

Grace be unto you and peace from God, Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit. Amen.

The first lesson and gospel today focus on teachings. In Deuteronomy, the teachings begin with the Shema, the statement of faith for the Hebrews. “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one.” In our text the importance of handing the teachings on to the next generation is emphasized and the primary way to do that is to speak of the laws all the day long. The reason given is if people obey the commands of God then Israel will be blessed but if they go after other gods, idols, then Israel will be cursed. This logic is still being applied today by conservative preachers who argue that God will bless the U.S. only if it obeys the Bible as they interpret it, and God will punish the U.S. – Katrina, 9-11, etc. if all of the laws are not obeyed. They are rather selective about which laws actually matter in winning God’s favor.

It all depends on which God of Israel one pays attention to. John Dominic Crossan claims that there are two ideas of God that permeate the Bible. One is God who is all powerful and must be placated to keep God’s favor, otherwise this God will bring judgment usually in the form of invaders to coerce Israel into line once again. This is the God of Noah who sends the flood to wipeout humankind except for Noah’s family.

The other idea of God that is in Scripture is God who is compassionate and forgiving, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love according to Jonah. This is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who gives children to the aged and keeps promises even though they seem impossible.

In Matthew we have the same structure as in Deuteronomy. “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of God.” It seems strange that Jesus, the incarnation of the love of God would speak this way, so what is happening here? This text is the last paragraphs of the Sermon on the Mount so Jesus has been speaking for three chapters now giving insights into what living The Way is all about. He has delivered the Beatitudes describing all who will be blessed – no curses. He has reinterpreted the Ten Commandments moving from deeds to thoughts. He says that not only are we to love our neighbors, but we are also to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. He says that we are not to judge others because then we will not be judged. We are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. There is neither a show of power here nor any use of violence to achieve God’s will in the world.

Yet when the disciples come to him they say that they have prophesied, cast out demons, and done great deeds of power in his name, to which Jesus replies I never knew you. I would like to suggest that Jesus is surprised that after all of this instruction about love, compassion, and care for others that is quite every day – not flashy, not powerful in the sense of control, but grace filled- that the disciples still do not seem to see the contrast between what Jesus is teaching and what they are doing. Jesus seems to be saying if you are to live my way then you live simply, doing justice, loving kindly and walking humbly with God. (Micah)

Matthew is choosing the God of Abraham over the God of Noah and claiming that the way God works in the world is the same way that Jesus lived in the world, proclaiming the coming of the reign of God that is so small that only a person of faith can recognize it. God works through human relationships, as we recognize our interrelatedness and the presence of God on the world not only in Jesus but in, with, and under all of creation. This God works through us, depending on us to join in caring for one another and for all of creation. This God is not about control or obedience but about honoring our human freedom and wanting to be in genuine relationship which cannot be coerced. This is a God who takes risks; the largest is to trust us with the care of each other and the universe. Jesus lived the way he did to challenge the Empire way of living that depends on power to coerce its subjects into obedience. So it isn’t surprising that he taught a non-violent way of being in the world. Clearly this way of living has risks. This more excellent way, as Paul speaks of it in I Corinthians 13, is the way of love. It is this way that Jesus wants his disciples to follow.

Finally the text ends as happens in other places with Matthew saying that Jesus taught with authority and not as the scribes. The scribes were the religious leaders who taught with the intent that their interpretations would be obeyed without question. Jesus taught how to live and then he lived the way he taught. He walked the talk. He had integrity all the way to the cross and the God of Abraham accompanied him, not preventing a terrible injustice, but using that event to be the catalyst for changing the world.

One of the great things about SPR is this same kind of integrity which has created a great deal of respect in the synod for this congregation. Our integrity caused us to live out what we say. When we say, “all are welcome here,” we mean exactly that, no exceptions. When we say, “there is nothing about who you are nor is there anything that you ever can do that can separate you from the love of God in Christ,” that is exactly what we mean. We understand that if others are to know this love of God that we have found in Christ Jesus, we need to do more than say so, we need to build houses, dig wells, support the food shelf, sign petitions, work for justice in the world and in the church (all three of our resolutions passed at the synod assembly). SPR definitely walks the talk and understands that this is only possible because the God of Abraham is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

For being who you are, I thank you. SPR is a most remarkable Christian community. I have learned much about faith, justice and the hard work it takes to change the world and the church (I have decided that it is harder to change the church). I appreciate being invited to participate in the many events that have demonstrated the integrity of this congregation, especially Anita’s ordination. The history of this congregation has created a tradition of living faithfully on the cutting edge theologically and socially that has served all of us well and will continue to do so. I will continue to hold all of you in my heart as I promised to do when you ordained me nine years ago. May the God of Abraham, embodied in Christ continue to lead you in taking the risks necessary to work for justice and peace and to proclaim the love of God in Christ for absolutely everyone. You are indeed the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Peace of God be with you. Amen.