Fresh Perspective

Fresh Perspective

February 16/ 2014   Matthew 5:21-37

A few years ago, when my eldest son graduated from basic training for the Canadian Navy, Elizabeth, my son Foster and myself took the train from Toronto to Montreal, so we could be with Rhys as he graduated.  I had rented a car before we left online.  The website indicated that the car rental had an office in the train station.  And they did have an office at the train station just not the train station that we disembarked at.  The car that I had ordered and put a deposit on was at other train station at the other end of the city – after many phone calls, and new forms and further agreements to multiple signatures later and at a car dealership a few blocks from the train station – we managed to rent a car.

A compact car was procured and me and my little family set off to St Jean sur Richeleiux with explicit directions from the man at the car rental place about how to get from downtown Montreal to the express way that would take me south.  So off we go onto the city streets and expressways of Montreal  – how many of you have ever driven in Montreal? – what an experience – it was very easy for me to get turned around, and before I knew it I was headed north instead of south and due to all the road rules about not being able to merge here and no left turns there and detour signs for construction that had me veering off the route I had been given.  I had to continue to drive north for almost half an hour before I could get turned around and go the proper way.

We arrived only about an hour later than we thought – booked into our room and realized that we had forgotten our bathing suits – and of course the hotel had a pool.  Elizabeth really wanted to swimming and I had noticed a Zellers as we drove through town – so back into our little car to shop for bathing suits.  Finding a bathing suit for a little girl in November in Quebec is not as easy as you may think – the pickings were slim – although the price was right on the mark down rack in the middle of the store – it took a while to find a size the would fit – we eventully found a two piece but although I found two pieces, the top was a size 5 and the bottom a size 4.  I was pleased that I had found two pieces that matched but when I took them to the check out – imagine my surprise when I was not allowed to buy this suit because both pieces had a piece missing – so the size 5 top was missing its bottom and the size 4 bottom was missing its top – and therefore the cashier could not sell me the items – even when I offered to pay for two bathing suits, she was sorry she said, she wished she could help me but it was against the rules – Elizabeth went swimming in a tee shirt and underwear.  Which I imagine, was against the hotel rules.

Are you hearing my theme yet?  Rules and regulations – policies and procedures – instructions and directions – a common theme of that weekend.

And the next day – it was the biggest display of rules yet – all these men and woman in regulation army/navy and air force uniforms marching to the beat of their drill Sargent’s voice – how to walk, when to talk, where to stand, what to wear, not even allowed to smile.  There were no little waves of recognition across the parade grounds – or covert smiles to let us know that he even knew we were there – for over an hour this tightly regulated regimented marching, standing, saluting, parading soldiers maintained a strict code of conduct.  

It was a weekend of rules – it is remarkable to me how we as humans create rules and policies and procedures more often than not to protect, keep safe, make things easier, but what often happens instead is that the rules take over – and instead of about freedom and ease and better understanding – it becomes about regulations and loss of freedom and just plain old frustration         

but

you have heard it said says Jesus 

Jesus is on the mountain top in the midst of the sermon on the mount.  He is talking to the people about who they are and whose they are and what God wants from them and their lives.  Remember these are people of the law – people who know rules and regulations, know that there is right and wrong and it is clearly defined, and if a mistake is made a transgression occurs there are more rules on how to deal with it – what sort of sacrifice to the temple gets made for cheating – lying – or general disobedience – a dove a goat a lamb will be sacrificed and the all would be well – at least until the next time.  This is the understanding that Jesus is speaking to today – he is holding before the people some of their rules, their laws, and saying to them – consider what you know.

Cause the thing about rules and regulations and laws is that they often lose their intention, and become arbitrary – that is to say a rule is made to protect and keep people safe but at some point the original purpose gets lost in the maintaining of the rule.

Take for instance the rules that we have created on airplanes – a group of men boarded planes in September of 2001 and armed with box cutters – took over the planes and crashed them into buildings.  So, how to make this not happen again – do not allow anything that can be considered a weapon on a plane – so all of a sudden, knitting needles and sewing kits and razors can no longer be carried on to the plane. But then someone decided that they could carry liquids in their shoes that could be made into bombs – and so liquids get banned and toothpaste and makeup and water is confiscated before the security gates – and them another creates some sort of bomb that he wears in his underwear and the next thing you know we have full body scans and pat downs.  All in the name of security  - all as a safety measure to protect us -.  I wonder how much more protection we actually really need – and I also wonder when common sense got left behind.

In Jesus day the rules and regulations grew and grew as well – so the 10 commandments that Moses shared by the time Jesus came into the world – these 10 all encompassing laws had grown to 623 laws – all there to help people live right and just and godly lives – but one of the problems with 623 laws is that you hardly know which one to take seriously – which ones are more important, which ones really matter to God.  I would imagine that it would be easy to get a picture of God as being a judge on at throne that only cares about the rules and the letter of the law, when you listen to all the laws in the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

But wait – hear what is being said this morning - Jesus is here to say something different – remember where we have come from – Jesus is on the mountain and begins by saying – you know all those pious law keepers who brag about their righteousness – God is actually blessing the poor and the meek, those who more, those who thirst for justice – yours is the kingdom of heaven.  This is our first clue that Jesus is speaking against the established ideas and understandings about who God is and what God wants from his people, then he goes on to remind the people that God is their God too!  God does not belong only to the religious authorities, or ‘special’ people – God is in relationship with them, the ordinary people and they are the ones who live God’s love, they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, using the words of Jesus.  

You have heard it said  says Jesus  that you should not murder (#6 of the 10 Commandments)  but I say to you – says Jesus - but consider this from a different places says Jesus – it is not only about the letter of the law – it is about more than that – It is about relationship says Jesus – your relationship to other, not only in how you treat them on the outside, but how you think of them on the inside.

You have heard it said says Jesus, you shall not commit adultery (# 7 of the 10 commandments) but I say to you  – Jesus says – adultery is more that a clearly defined action – it is more than that, it is about relationships with others and how you treat them not only outwardly but inwardly as well.

You have heard it said says Jesus “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ (addressing # 3 of the ten commandments) But I say to you – using Eugene Peterson’s words from the Message of Jesus words:

"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong."

Jesus wants his disciples – Jesus wants us to be people of integrity, people who are faithful to their promises, people who do what they say, and say what they mean,  people who have no need to swear that they are telling the truth because they always tell the truth. We should be people who honor our commitments in marriage and in all our covenant relationships  - who treat each other and ourselves with respect and who respect the commitments of others. And then Jesus address some of the unfairness and inequality of how woman were treated in his time and place because at that time woman were being discarded for small or imagined infractions and a woman 2000 years ago with no husband or other male in their live often had no status, no resources and lived on the edge of society – so Jesus reminds the disciples that women are people and are not to be used and abandoned at will. They are also among the ones who are now blessed by God’s reign. In his words, Jesus is providing a glimpse of God’s kingdom come, a fresh perspective on the rules and regulations, the codes of conducts and policies and procedures that get in the way of living the Kingdom.  

Think about it says Jesus – think about the law as being more than just a list of rules or regulations or policies or procedure – because the law is meant to give you life which is the better choice – remember who you are says Jesus, remember whose you are and live your life accordingly.

Remember says Jesus - – you are the ones in God’s heart – you are the light the world – you are the salt of the earth – you are God’s beloved children, and so is every single one of the people  you will encounter this day – we are invited to live our lives as God’s beloved children where our “yes’s” can be “yes” and our “no’s” can be “no’s”, and God’s kingdom comes, and God’s will is done.  Amen.

Salt and Light

Sermon on the Mount – Radiance

February 9/2014     Matthew 5:13-20

The Olympics have begun – how many of you watched the opening ceremonies on Friday afternoon or evening?  What a spectacle – the mascots were something didn’t you think their facial animation was eerie - and the Russian display of  - its history – a great big exhibition show – you were able to forget about all the difficulties and problems and issues that lead up to the games – amidst all the glitters and glitz – the light show and the music – it was hard to remember that woman were strapping bombs to themselves and setting them off in public places killing themselves and others in protest, and that for some of the route the Olympic flame was so heavily guarded the people had to buy tickets and watch the torch from stadium stands as it was run around the track – and then what about the people were displaced in order to build the venues and not to mention the furor that Russia’s anti -gay laws have caused – there was  a while before the games actually began when I began to wonder whether they would actually happen – there seemed so much standing in the way – but they did it – everything was ready and last night all the athletes came together and celebrated the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games -  I am glad that last night all the other incidents and challenges  seemed to dissipate and instead the focus became on the athletes and the nations and hopefully – ultimately what the Olympic games are really about – sport and excellence.  

The piece that I thought was particularly moving was in the parade of nations – What I appreciate are the teams that are so small one or two athletes representing a whole nation –for instance there was  one person from Tibet – a cross country skier., and one from the British Virgin Islands, a snowboarder – and  I still get excited when I see the Jamaican bobsled team – what a great spirit – these five men training in a country that has not snow, no ice and no toboggans – and what is wonderful about their story is that there are very limited funds for this team so they crowd sourced their money for their travel and expenses during the games – crowd sourcing is putting it out on the internet and inviting the world to contribute – in less than 48 hours they had raised over $100,000.  I love what the flag bearer from Iceland said:  “Many think that because our country’s name is Iceland, it is a country of snow and ice, but it isn’t. Iceland has never won a medal in the Winter Olympics and we will not win in Sochi, either. My goal is to be in the top 50 in the cross country sprint.” Stories such as these remind us that these games are not about our medal count, or even owning the podium – they are about the human spirit – about what it is to be committed to something, and train hard  and be dedicated and try your best and participate fully and to be a part of something bigger than yourself.  Which is exactly what Jesus is talking about up on the hillside this morning – being committed and dedicated, trying your best , participating fully and being a part of something bigger that we can ever be  on our own.  Salt and light.

You are the light of the world
You are the light of the world
But the tallest candlestick
Ain't much good without a wick
You got to stay bright to be the light of the world

We rejoin Jesus on the hill this morning – remember he has just begun his ministry where he was baptized by John in the Jordan, spent some time in the dessert, called his first disciples, and has been healing the sick and curing the diseased and sharing the Word of God in various synagogues around the area.  He has become a popular speaker and many seek him out to hear what he has to say – today  a large crowd has followed him and so he goes up a mountain – sits down, the crowd follows and finds themselves a place to sit and listen to what he has to say – we join the crowds today in the midst of a conversation – about God and the kingdom – and Jesus is explaining just how different God wishes the world was – and how the values that seem to be the most prevalent among people are not what God values.  

After lifting up the mostly unlikely people – the poor in spirit, the meek and the merciful, those who mourn and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted – and calling them "blessed," Jesus then addresses the crowd as "you," and offers them words of both reassurance and challenge. 

You are the light of the world, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God.  You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?

David Lose writes:  “Notice, for instance, that Jesus doesn’t give … instructions on how to become salt and light. Rather, he just plain tells them that that’s what they are. “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” Goodness, he doesn’t even say that they’re “little lights” that they should let shine. Rather, he says they are the light of the world -- sheer promise and declaration….

And yet he also commissions them -- not commands, I think, but commissions them -- actually to be salt and light, to be the persons they’ve been called to be. To season and preserve the world, to let their light shine so that others will see their good works -- yes, good works! -- and glorify God. Jesus isn’t asking them to earn their salvation, of course, but to live out the salvation and discipleship that has been given them as a gift..”[1]

You are the salt of the earth
You are the salt of the earth
But if that salt has lost its flavor
It ain't got much in its favor
You can't have that fault and be the salt of the earth!

Sometimes it is hard for us to imagine that Jesus is really talking to us – how on earth can I be light and salt to this world – I am barely holding it together in my own little corner of the world – you may be suffering with health issues that have taken all your energy, maybe you are struggling with financial concerns that tend to occupy your mind – some of us are sad and lonely and have a hard time seeing the light in the world let alone claim the light as our own.  But it is really clear that Jesus is naming who he is talking to – and by virtue of Matthew’s recording of this – we as well as the disciples, we as well as the other listeners on the hillside – we are the ones who are salt and who are light.  I think this is good time to re-hear the words of Marianne Williamson – whose words were made famous by Nelson Mandela at his 1994 inaugural speech  as the newly elected president of South Africa.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

So as we witness the remarkable athletes preforming excellence in their sporting events – as they shine for all the world to see – we may think that our light is not as bright – or important – or relevant or even worthy of sharing -  it is not for us to compare ourselves to them – it is not for us to compare ourselves to anyone – God sees us for the unique individual that we all are – and it is to us that Jesus is speaking this morning.  We are being called by Jesus to be the light of the world.  We are being called in our own way – to use our own gifts – in our own corner of the world to be the light of God to others, to share the flavour of salt to the people that we meet in our day to day lives. 

Jesus’ words this week are meant to wake us, to remind us of what we carry in our bones: the living presence of the God who bids us be salt in this world in all our savory particularity; to be light in the way that only we can blaze.

You are the light of the world – you!

You are the salt of the earth – you!

So let your light shine- your salt be flavourful – and your life be blessed.  Thanks be to God.  Amen

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[1] David Lose:  Called and Commissioned to be Salt and Light, https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?m=4377&post=3062, 2014

Blessing

Sermon on the Mount:  Blessing

February 2, 2014         Matthew 5:1-12, Micah 6:1-8 and Psalm 15

Happy Groundhog Day!  (what the groundhog predicted here) It is a fascinating custom isn’t it – waking up a groundhog from it’s hibernation and hold it up to see if it sees it shadow.  I think it is a really impractical way of predicting the weather - the groundhog after all is apparently only correct 37% of the time - but by this time of the year – and especially after the weather we have been having we need to know that this winter is going to end at some point, and if a groundhog is going to let us know that well – more power to him – what a week we have just lived through –how many of you were becoming ‘shack happy’ towards Thursday, time was weird – it was hard to feel  like we accomplished anything during our day, the girls were getting on each other nerves and quite frankly so were we.  And we are in for more this week – a Texas Low coming in on Tuesday.  Winter will end at one point – be it in 6 weeks or the first week of May – winter will end and all this snow will melt – I promise.  

How many of you have seen the movie Groundhog Day? – it was a favorite in our home for a while when my boys were growing up.  For those of you that do not know the plot – it is about an obnoxious news reporter who is in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania, covering the annual Groundhog Day festival.   Throughout the day he has various encounters with the people he works with and the locals.  You learn pretty quickly that he is not happy to be there, scornful of the event, the people and generally the world around him – but he is unable to leave town because of a ‘snow event’.  Day one completed – he wakes up the next morning only to find that it is not the next morning, it is still February 2^nd all over again and all the events that he lived through the previous day unfold around him, again and again and again and again – Phil Conners relives this day over and over and over again –and every day is Groundhog Day.

As he begins to realize what is going on he starts to take advantage of the situation, he treats people terribly, he is rude and disrespectful and still he wakes up again on February 2^nd, but no one else knows that he has been there and done that before.  He decides to take advantage of the situation with no fear of long-term consequences: he learns secrets from the town's residents, seduces women, steals money, drives recklessly, and gets thrown in jail. Eventually, Phil becomes despondent and tries more and more drastically to end the time loop; he tries a number of suicide attempts but they don’t work either and he wakes up to find that nothing has changed.  Eventually, however he shifts his focus and his life and begins to think beyond himself – and his strange situation - and starts to get to know the people around him, to take an interest in their lives, and to discovers what makes them tick.  

Something in Phil shifts – he takes piano lessons, he helps out an old friend, he supports a young couple, he saves a man’s life, and he realizes that he cannot save the life of another.  What really happens is that he becomes human and his life starts to become blessed and he then becomes a blessing in other people’s lives.  He learns to live as the prophet Micah indicates – when he proclaims:  What does the Lord require of you – to seek justice and love kindness and walk humbly with our God– for Phil - seeking justice, being kind to himself and to others, and walking humbly his life shifts – and finally after countless days of re- living February 2 over and over again – when the focus of Phil’s life has shifted outward instead of inward -  he finally wakes up on February 3rd.

These words of the prophet Micah speak down to us through the ages – reminding us of what it is to live on this earth as a human being and what God wishes for our lives.  All of our readings today have one thing in common – they are articulations of wisdom about what makes a life good and godly.  The readings offer the listener instructions(and remember the bible was book written to be read out loud)  – helpful information – from the prophet, the psalmist and Jesus about how to live on this earth as God wishes us to – how to live the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

The psalmist asks the age old question about how our lives should be lived– this is how it is written in The Message: 

God, who gets invited
    to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

² “Walk straight,
    act right,
        tell the truth.

^3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend,
    don’t blame your neighbor;
        despise the despicable.

⁵ “Keep your word even when it costs you,
    make an honest living,
        never take a bribe.”

Act right, tell truth, don’t hurt your friend - It is all very good counsel about how to live in the world – and again it focuses us outward instead of inward.

 The Message does a lovely job with Micah’s words as well:

“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
    what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
    be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
    take God seriously.”

And we may know these words as seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.  Taking God seriously was the best advice the prophet offered to a people who had lived through difficult times, people longing for a word of hope.

And hundreds of years later – into another time of political unrest and persecution Jesus comes and also shares how to live in the world, how God wants us treat ourselves and treat each other. How we are to live in the world taking God very seriously.

We are very early in Jesus ministry when we join the story this morning – Jesus has been baptized in the Jordon, spent 40 days in the desert – called his first disciples and began to speak in synagogues, healing the sick and curing diseases.  He is becoming more and more known and people are seeking him out, bringing the sick to be made well.  He is also a wonderful speaker and crowds of people want to hear what he has to say so large crowds of people have begun to follow him.  Jesus is already, within a few months of beginning his ministry making quite a splash among the people – and so , today when Jesus encounters yet another crowd of people wanting to hear what he has to say – he goes up the mountain – and sits down and the crowd follows and they wait to hear:  

Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful, and the pure in heart and the peacemakers, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness– blessed are the last and least and the ones that you would least expect to feel blessed, says Jesus. You will note that the first time that Matthew records any of Jesus words – we hear him speaking counter- cultural – startling the listeners into re-examining what they know to be true and to re-order the world from what the culture says to what God says. They know that the rich and the healthy and the powerful appear to have blessings – to their eyes those who are strong and mighty, those who look after themselves instead of others, those who guard their hearts seemed to be the ones the world is blessing – not so says Jesus – look again - 

 A fellow preacher this week writes:  “Jesus’s vision and words, though, seem to stretch those of the prophets to new degrees.  Imagine those famous words of Micah as a piece of fabric, stretching across the universe, the words that tell us to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.”  Now imagine that fabric pulled and stretched at the edges as Jesus proclaims how justice and kindness and humility are accomplished: by poverty of spirit, and by mourning, and by meekness.  And that those who live in those ways, the ways of poverty of spirit and mourning and meekness, are blessed.

Does this sound like something you want to sign up for?  Poverty of spirit?  Mourning?  Meekness?

Let’s think about that word “blessed” for a moment.  The Greek word, makarios, is often translated as “happy” or “fortunate.”… When have you felt most happy or fortunate in life?  When have you felt most blessed?”[1]

Was it in times of meekness, mourning, when you were feeling poor in spirit or where hungering of thirsting for righteousness?  I suspect not – for when we think about it – certainly as a culture we do not think that meekness and mourning and thirsting for righteousness as strong and dominant ways of being in the world that we expect to be blessed.  But Jesus says – let’s look at that again – let go of what the world sees as right and correct and focus on what God sees as right and good and true.

So what does it mean to be blessed – what does it feel like to be blessed?  Times in my life when I have felt blessed are when someone I value looks at me – really looks at me and says that they value me, that what I have contributed has been important and I am worth something.  Being  blessed can feel like accompaniment, that you are never alone, that someone is with you, is on your side – it could be another person or it could be God who cares enough about you that where ever you go, whatever you do – you don’t do it alone. 

Being blessed allows you to feel that you can rise above your circumstances even when they are really challenging and that your circumstance do not define you, nor do your faults, or your failings or your limitations or even bad choices you made in your past.  

Being blessed feels like you have worth,  not because of what you do, or what you have done, or who your parents are or what your job is or how big your house is or your bank account either – 

Being blessed means that you have value and worth just because you are you and you deserve to be blessed.  You are a beloved child of God blessed in your meekness and mourning and poverty of spirit, blessed in your truth. 

Mary Craig again:  “Jesus is telling us, instead, that true blessedness, true happiness, is found in reliance upon God.   Ultimate blessedness is found in poverty of self, in emptying of self, in letting go of our own priorities -- in recognizing that abundance is God’s to give, not ours to achieve.  True blessedness is found in seeing that when we mourn, or when we are meek – when we are gentle, when we defer to others – God offers gifts of insight and compassion to us.”[2]

When we live a blessed life, something in us shifts and we begin to see the world with a different focus – no longer are we seeing the world through the filter of our desires and longing, through our brokenness and pain – instead the life lived in blessing sees the other and sees in the face of the other – a glimpse of their creator, a glimpse of God – sees another as a blessed and beloved child of God.  

Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek and blessed are those who mourn, the peacemakers and the pure of heart – blessed are you – holy are you – God’s beloved child.  Amen.

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[1] Mary Craig:  Beautiful and Terrible; http://metanoia-mrc.blogspot.ca/ (2014)

[2] Ibid.