Two
roads...which way to go?
The
lectionary scriptures for today include this passage from Galatians
which lays out the core choices that we have as humans, as Christians
and as church. I'm reading selected verses from Galatians 5:13-26.
I'm reading from the New Revised Standard Version with the occasional
clarification from The Message:
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use
your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love
become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a
single commandment [For everything we know about God's Word is summed
up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself.] v16 –
Live by the spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the
flesh. For
what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit
desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other,
to prevent you from doing what you want. But
if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
[Why
don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic
compulsions of a law-dominated existence?]
This
passage continues on to list the works of the flesh and the fruit of
the spirit. The two pathways – flesh or spirit? Self or others? Be
led by the Spirit or constrained by legalism? The two lists offer up
very different existences.
What
kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time?
repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental
and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness;
trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat
competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal
temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided
lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of
depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and
uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community.
Doesn't
sound like a good path...what does the other path offer? What happens
when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the
same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for
others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to
stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a
conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find
ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way
in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets
in the way.
The
ending paragraph of this chapter of the letter from Paul to the
churches of Galatia is very powerful. “Since this is the kind of
life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we
do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our
hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.
That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of
us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things
to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.” Stated more
simply: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the
Spirit.” AND “Let us not become conceited, competing against one
another, envying one another.”
Good
advice. It was especially needed in the time that Paul originally
wrote this letter. Scholars largely agree that these churches were
founded by Paul himself and were made up of converts from paganism.
Once Paul left, they began to stray.
Paul's
trust and faith-centered teachings began to be subverted by
individuals proposing another gospel that centered on salvation
through the Mosaic law (the law of Moses). The Galatians appear to be
receptive to the teachings of these newcomers and this letter is
Paul's response to what he sees as their willingness to turn from his
teaching. Hmmm....churches leaning more on following the rules
instead of faith in the gift of grace? Who would do that?
All of
us. Not just churches. People. It's so much easier to determine who
is worthy if you have ways to measure their performance! Attendance,
giving levels, number of guests you bring, how many classes you
teach...when you can check off boxes and give people a score, it's
easy to tell who is more worthy than another.
Except
that isn't how God works. And we need to pick another path.
This
is where the Gospel lesson for today dovetails in...join me in
reading Luke 9:51-62 -
When
the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to
Jerusalem. And
he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village
of the Samaritans to make ready for him;
but
they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
When
his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want
us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
But
he turned and rebuked them.
Then
they went on to another village.
As
they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow
you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have
holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has
nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.”
But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for
you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I
will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my
home.”Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and
looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
There
are two themes within the Gospel lesson today. The first that I'll
address is this idea of choosing to follow or not. Jesus is in the
midst of his ministry – he is healing and teaching and has fed the
5000 and cast out demons. He's already started enough talk that Herod
has taken notice and is asking who this man is that he is hearing
about. He chopped the head off John the Baptist and now this new guy
seems to be even more radical! Things are starting to heat up. Jesus
and his followers are traveling light and covering a lot of ground.
This
attracts people! People like to be a part of the action. It is easier
to get caught up in the passion of a group all headed in the same
direction. Think about those times you've been part of a large group
of people excited about the same thing. Maybe you thought of a
sporting event when the game is close or the horse is pulling away.
Maybe you remembered a concert when everyone was singing along to a
favorite song? I remember being part of a youth retreat at
Blackstone. For worship a group of 40 or 50 participants sang The
Church's One Foundation acapella and in harmony. I was part of that
group and during the singing of it I could feel a physical thrill run
through my body. Everyone in that group seemed to be focused on the
message behind the words and I could feel the Spirit of God rush
through me. “The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.”
It was pure and exciting and I never wanted that feeling to fade.
I
think we've all experienced the energy that comes from being part of
a group focused on something together. Imagine how much more intense
it would be in the ACTUAL presence of Jesus! So people wanted to be a
part of that. But Jesus wanted to know how serious they were about
following. Or were they just attracted to Jesus for selfish reasons?
So he
lays it all out for them...he asks if they are ready to rough it.
They aren't staying in pleasant bed & breakfasts. The Son of Man
has no place to rest his head. Are you going to be okay with sleeping
on the ground and not knowing where your next meal is coming from? Is
that how dedicated you are?
Some
were not as ready as they thought they were. Jesus asked one to
follow him and the response was “certainly, but first excuse me for
a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father's
funeral.” Jesus' response seems pretty harsh, “First things
first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce
God's Kingdom!” Another said he was ready to follow as soon as he
got things straight back home. But Jesus said to stop procrastinating
and looking backward. Seize the day.
I
think you have to appreciate a leader who doesn't sugarcoat the task
ahead. I like people to be authentic with me. I can tell when
somebody is buttering me up or painting a rosier picture of the
project in order to get my participation. Don't tell me that Vacation
Bible School is going to be like a Norman Rockwell painting of
attentive students hanging on every word of the lesson or highly
artistic angels creating art show worthy popsicle bird houses. I can
tell that you're manipulating me and then I'm going to find
everything you say highly suspicious.
I
like the fact that Jesus says that this isn't going to be easy and
that you're going to have to get all the way in the boat. I have a
wonderful niece who is 8. Last May we were going to go on a canoe
ride – it wasn't warm enough yet for swimming but we wanted to
enjoy the river together. I got into the canoe first and held it
steady for her to climb in. For some reason, she put one foot into
the boat and got nervous. So she's got one foot on the dock and one
in the canoe and as hard as I tried, the dock and boat were departing
from each other. She's sinking lower and her feet are getting further
apart...well, you know what happened next. At some point, your feet
aren't going to be in either place. Not only did she put herself in
the water...she took me down with her.
Jesus
said that we've got to make a choice. We can choose to follow – but
if we are going to keep looking back or choosing our old life over
the new life...it just isn't going to work long-term. We've got to
commit ourselves to this new life. Then we'll have access to those
fruits of the spirit that Paul speaks of in Galatians: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
gentleness,
and self-control. But if we focus on ourselves then we'll be back to
the self-indulgence of the flesh and dealing with the dark side of
life: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,
idolatry,
sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions,
factions, envy,
drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.
What
seems like a no-brainer, an easy decision...who would pick anger and
quarreling over peace and joy? Wouldn't generosity clearly be better
than strife? I know I always prefer love over jealousy. But it isn't
easy. Jesus told us it wouldn't be easy. He said we needed to prepare
for a hard journey. But the secret is – he'll be with us! We're not
in it alone! We've just got to point both feet in that direction.
Then
we'll be on our way with Jesus – doing what he asked us to do. What
was that directive again? Go make disciples of all nations. The Great
Commission in Matthew 28 says it clearly: “Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And
remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We've
got a task. And what again are we supposed to be teaching them? For
that, I go to the time that Jesus answered the question “what is
the commandment in the law is the greatest?” Matthew 22:37-40
states: He said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This
is the greatest and first commandment.
And
a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
On
these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” ON THESE
TWO COMMANDMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS. This is the whole
of it: Love God. Love what God loves.
And if
you can't do that – maybe you'd better stay on the dock because
putting us both in the water is worse. Love God. Love what and who
God loves. And in case you forgot or the truth got twisted
someplace...God loves everyone. So we are called to love everyone
too.
Jesus
says if you love those who love you – big woo. He doesn't suggest
that we cease to love those who love us...he just nudges us to love
our enemies too. He doesn't say the harder thing is the better thing.
It's just the harder thing. To love the enemy - and to find some
spaciousness for the victimizer as well as the victim - resembles
more the expansive compassion of God. That's why you do it.
To be
in the world who God is. To seek a compassion that can stand in awe
at what the poor and disenfranchised have to carry rather than stand
in judgment at how they carry it. Judgment is one of the things that
Paul was warning the churches in Galatia about! Somebody was
spreading the message that God wasn't going to accept the new
followers unless they followed the rules. That involved some very
controversial issues like circumcision, Sabbath observance and Law of
Moses. Paul tried to point them back to truth – that we are all
saved by grace. He wanted them to get their heart back on the
important message – love God, love who and what God loves. If you
love God you'll honor and respect God, you won't be distracted by
other gods. If you love who and what God loves, you wouldn't kill the
one who God loves? Or steal from them? Or dishonor them?
The
message is simple. It's all about Love.
Let's
take one more look at today's Gospel lesson and pick up on that
second theme for a moment. Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem, He sent
messengers on ahead. Those messengers came to a Samaritan village to
make arrangements for his hospitality. But when the Samaritans
learned that his destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality.
When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, “Master,
do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and
incinerate them?”
Jesus turned on them: “Of course not!” And they
traveled on to another village.
That
brings us to the hard part of today's message...the part where we
have to look inward and see if there are people who we think need to
have a bolt of lightning called down upon them. And Jesus rebukes us
like his followers of that time.
Jesus
– don't you think those people should be punished for rejecting
you? Jesus, that person isn't doing what they should be doing. He's
falling short. She's on an earthly self-indulgent path. They aren't
doing this right – they are lazy or cheap or drunkards or dirty or
a mess. Shouldn't you want to wipe them off the face of the earth?
They've rejected you – get 'em!
And
Jesus looks down to us and shakes his head. And wonders if we'll EVER
get it... call down fire from heaven? Of course not. In fact, we're
not even equipped to make that call. I would be danger to the world
if I had been given the power to call down fire from heaven. I would
be a danger to myself if I had that power. If we could just focus on
the message and mission at hand half as much as we find ourselves
focusing on seeing how others measure up...the world would be much
more like the kingdom of God. If we can focus on loving God and
loving what God loves...we'd have very little desire to judge.
Let's
be more like the expansive heart of God. I'd like to tell you a story
from Father Greg Boyle's excellent book Tattoos on the Heart. Father
Boyle started a ministry in the midst of the gang strife in Los
Angeles in the poorest parish in LA. The church was situated between
two huge public housing projects and the vision of a few elderly
parishioners grew to be Homeboy Industries, a successful gang
intervention, prison ministry and job training program that has
served hundreds of thousands of people who wanted to change their
lives.
This
is the story of Rigo, who Father Greg met at a detention facility
when Rigo was just 15. Rigo is preparing for his first communion and
while they are waiting for the time to arrive, Pastor G asks him
about his life and his family.
He
asks Rigo about his father. “Oh,” he says, “he's a heroin
addict and never really been in my life. Used to always beat me.
Fact, he's in prison right now. Barely ever lived with us.” Then
something kind of snaps in him – an image brings him to attention.
“I think I was in the fourth grade,” he begins, “I came home.
Sent home in the middle of the day. Got into something at school.
Can't remember what. When I got home, my jefito
was there. He was hardly ever there. My dad says, 'why'd they send
you home?' And cuz my dad always beat me, I said, “If I tell you,
promise you won't hit me?' He just said, 'I'm your father. 'course
I'm not gonna hit you.' So I told him.
Rigo
is caught short in the telling. He begins to cry and in moments he's
wailing and rocking back and forth. I put my arm around him. He is
inconsolable. When he is able to speak and barely so, he says only,
“He beat me with a pipe...with...a pipe.” When Rigo composes
himself, I ask, “and your mom?” He points to a tiny woman
standing by the gym's entrance.
“That's
her over there.” He pauses for a beat, “There's no one like her.”
Again, some slide appears in his mind and a thought occurs. “I've
been locked up for more than a year and a half. She comes to see me
every Sunday. You know how many buses she takes every Sunday – to
see my sorry ass?” Then he sobs with the same ferocity as before.
Then gasping through his tears, “Seven buses. She
takes...seven...buses. Imagine.”
This
is the expansive heart of God – who takes seven buses just to
arrive at us. The desire of God's heart is immeasurably larger than
our imaginations can conjure. The village that turned away? No need
to call down fire from heaven – they turned away and missed the
chance to be part in God's presence. What worse would you do to them?
We have the choice. The path away...to focus on self and earthly
things. Or we can choose the path that brings us into the loving
embrace of God's love. And when we commit to being part of that
expansive heart – all we will desire is to be a signpost in the
world pointing the way into the ocean of God's love. Love God and
love who God loves. Go spread the word.
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