Prepared to Love

Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7)

18:1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.

18:2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground.

18:3 He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.

18:4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

18:5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on--since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said."

18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes."

18:7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it.

18:8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

18:9 They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent."

18:10 Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him.

18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?"

18:13 The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?'

18:14 Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son."

18:15 But Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. He said, "Oh yes, you did laugh."

Romans 5:1-8

5:1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

5:2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

5:3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

5:5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

5:7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.

5:8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)

9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.

9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

9:37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

9:38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

10:1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.

10:2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

10:4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,

10:6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

10:7 As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'

10:8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

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Reflections by the Rev. Jill Mills given at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation on June 18th, 2017.  (Propers 6A: Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7, Psalm 116:1,10-17, Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23)

 

I’m grateful to Joe for offering to Wade and I this particular week  to share our reflections, because there is so much in these passages that speaks so closely to our journeys  and to my own experience of God throughout my life.  Wade has touched upon the Hebrew Bible reading and the Gospel, and I will focus primarily on the Romans reading, with a few connections to the others as well.

 

Paul’s description of God’s love in this passage, I think, gives us plenty of reason for hope. He begins by reminding us that we have peace with God – not that we will have peace someday, if we pray and work hard enough – but that we have peace with God right now.

 

He proclaims that God’s love has been poured into all our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  All God’s children have been filled with God’s love.  This is the basis and the proof of our reconciliation with God, and this is also the basis and the proof that we have it within us to share God’s love with the world, with those around us, with those close to us and far from us, with those who are part of our everyday lives and those who just happen to show up one day.  With those who are receptive to it and those who just can’t accept it.

 

When strangers show up on Abraham and Sarah’s doorstep, so to speak, they jump up and get the grill started, get the side dishes going, and they prepare a feast for them.  There is no evidence that they know who these people are – but that is not their motivation.  They abundantly share what they have,  not knowing anything about what the outcome will be.  And the outcome is beyond Abraham and Sarah’s wildest imagination – and it is well worth the laughter that rises up in her.

 

I was privileged to grow up in a family that practiced this sort of hospitality – my mom and dad invited people they had just met to come or to stay for a meal, they took in people who were struggling to stay for a while until they could get back on their feet, they were the ones others called upon when they needed help of all kinds. I learned hospitality through their example, especially that it wasn’t about expecting anything to be reciprocated – it was just what we were expected to do.

 

When Jesus sends the disciples out  with instructions and authority to do what he has been doing, he doesn’t guarantee success for them.  He expects them to go out in hope,  and to not get hung up on things like success rates.  Later in the passage, he tells them that if the peace they offer does not take hold, to shake off the dust – to let go of the outcome – and to continue on.

It’s not up to them, and it’s not up to us today, to bring this work to completion. We get to practice trusting in God every time we simply act in love and then move on,  trusting that God will work within our actions and the actions of others to bring things to completion in a way we cannot possibly imagine, let alone take responsibility for.

 

The Presbyterian church I was raised in practiced this kind of self-giving love. The pastor had served in the south, had marched with Dr King, had had a cross burned on his front lawn by the KKK. We were active in social justice in the middle of Highland Park Michigan in the 1960s and 70s. We considered our actions to be one link in the chain, never knowing where it would all lead, but trusting that God worked with us to bring all those links together for good, beyond our ability to do so on our own.

 

Paul is telling us that in the midst of suffering, in the midst of joy, in the midst of every experience of our lives, we have peace of God, we are reconciled with God, we are in an intimate relationship with God, and our hearts are full of the love of God.  No matter what.  We can’t earn it, we can’t lose it, and we can’t use it up. This abundance of love is there for us to share and to trust that God will work with it to bring about the needed outcomes.

 

I have been learning all through my life how to rely more and more in that abundance, and to trust in it, especially when I can’t see any reason to do so, and even when I can’t predict the outcome.

 

I have been pulled out of a cushy job and income that was sucking my soul dry, out of a marriage that felt safe for 33 years but actually had me living under a dark cloud for much of that time,  into a new path that included seminary,  early retirement, ordination as a Presbyterian pastor, serving a church in Sterling Heights, a process of remembering who I had always been  once I was single again, and then meeting Wade, and finding in him an unexpected soulmate and partner for the journey,  and now we are discovering new paths and opportunities that let us be together and work together  in new ways that God seems to be showing us.

 

The one thing I know for sure is that God is love, and that God loves all God’s people, unconditionally, and that we all are called to share that love as the purpose and meaning of our lives. It sounds hard, but I think that once we claim it, it becomes easier and easier because it doesn’t require us to decide who we will love and who we will hate; who we will share our joy and peace and hope with and who we will withhold it from. It doesn’t require us to own the outcomes. I think this is what Jesus meant when he said, take my yoke upon you and learn from me;  my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

 

As Dr Martin Luther King Jr said, “I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear.” The harvest is plenty, and the laborers are few.  So it’s up to us all to get in there and love without reservation,  to share God’s love in every way we can.

 

So my joy these days is found in abundantly sharing what we have whenever the opportunity arises,  in becoming part of this beloved community learning how God is working through us all in so many ways, in finding how we can participate in God’s work through this congregation,  in letting go of hate and hanging onto hope for things unseen, in drawing closer to God  through deepening our relationships  with the people in our lives and those we encounter every day.

 

And always giving thanks for the hope that is in us,  for the love that has been poured into our hearts,  and for the peace we have in God.

 

Amen.

Called to Be *What*?

Micah 6:1-8

Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.

"O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!

For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD."

"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?"

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 1:18-31

‪For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,

but 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.

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,

so that no one might boast in the presence of God.

He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." 

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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The scripture readings for the weeks following Epiphany

         have centered around the reality of our call,

         of how we are called by God,

         and what it means to follow God’s call throughout our lives.

Last week we talked about how God calls ordinary people

         out of ordinary lives to do extraordinary things.

Today we are given a rich gift,

         in the Old Testament,

         and the gospel,

         and Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth,

a gift that makes it clear in no uncertain terms

         the great work that we are called to.

The kind of ordinary people we are called to be,

         and the nature of the extraordinary work we are called to do.

The prophet Micah is speaking to the people of Israel

         at a time when Israel was in the midst of a revival.

This is seven hundred years before Christ.

For the first time in years,

         according to the Feasting on the Word commentary,

the temple was crowded, and giving was over budget.

But the people of Israel were arrogant and uncaring.

The prophet Micah reminds the people

         of the ways God saved them, of the generosity of God,

         how God loved Israel, and brought them out of slavery,

         and gave them a home. 

But the people miss the point, and instead of gratitude,

         they ask what it is that God really wants from them –

                  more sacrifices?

                  more expensive livestock?

How religious do you really want us to be, God?

Their notion of religion has moved far from God’s hopes for them. They are focused on worshiping “correctly”

         and staying away from those who they believe do not.

And so Micah answers them.

         “What does the LORD require of you?

         Only this:

                  To do justice.

                  To love kindness.

                  To walk humbly with God.”

This is, of course, far from what the people were prepared to offer. They were ready to ramp up their worship

         to be as polished and shiny and wealth-laden as possible.

But the LORD God did not seek their possessions,

         but rather their lives of obedience –

         of humility and kindness.

Lives seeking and standing up for justice.

What does it mean that God wants us to do justice?

In scripture, justice is identified as the nature of God,

         an activity of God.

Justice seeks to establish or restore community,

         and to balance personal good with the common good.

Justice involves relationships with people,

         distribution of goods,

         and the social systems and order that is necessary to sustain it. We are called to do justice.

As God’s children, wherever we see injustice,

         we are called to work to change it,

         to make more just relationships,

         and more just distribution of goods,

         and more just social orders,

systems more balanced across common good.

Justice is measured by how well

         the most vulnerable in a community are doing.

What does it mean that God wants us to love kindness?

To love our neighbor includes both affection and ethical love,

         which considers not only law,

         but also the covenant that God has established with us

         through Jesus Christ.

And this is not love that we are forced to come up with on our own. This is love that flows out of us

         from the abundant love of God that is always flowing into us. We respond to God’s loving kindness by sharing it with others.

What does it mean to walk humbly with God?

It means we remember that God is God, and we are not;

         and also that we are no greater in God’s eyes

         than any of God’s other children.

We are all both saints and sinners, broken and blessed,

         and God loves us all anyway,

         even though we in no way deserve it, any of us.

We are all in the same boat, in the same desperate need of grace.

Not just all of us here, but all of us all over the world.

This knowledge is the basis of  the humility

         that allows us to accept God’s gifts and also

         know with certainty that we do not and can not deserve them,

that it is only through God’s grace

         that we or anyone else receives them.

And because God is God, and we are not,

         we can not even begin to judge who deserves what from God. Who is in a position to judge? Only Christ.

And Christ forgives, redeems, makes whole

         those who do not deserve it – thanks be to God!

In the gospel, we hear Jesus telling the crowds about blessing –

         about who is blessed.

The word blessed also means happy, full of joy,

         greatly honored in God’s sight.

Who are these blessed people?

It’s not the people who have the means to bring

         more wealth and music and polish to worship.

It is, rather, those who live lives of humility,

         and loving kindness, and justice.

The poor in spirit.

Those that mourn.

Those who do not have it all together.

Those who hunger and thirst after justice –

         for themselves and for others.

They are the ones who understand the true source of joy –

         it is in seeking the common good,

         in serving others,

         in working for a more just society and world.

Jesus is echoing and mirroring the words of Micah in the Beatitudes,

         the words of blessing we heard today.

Blessing is not about having good things in life,

         about getting good treatment,

         contrary to what the so-called prosperity gospels

         would try to make us believe.

It is about justice, and kindness, and humility before God.

And these are a three legged stool. It is not for us to choose which one we want to be. They stand together. We cannot do justice in a way that hates. We cannot be humble in a way that ignores the injustices that others are living with. God calls us to live in a way in which the three participate together.

Paul also echoes and mirrors these words

         when he reminds the church in Corinth that as Christians,

we are not seen as wise or as powerful by human standards.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.

God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

God chose what is low and despised in the world,

         things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are.

To the world, the cross is foolish and weak;

         it is lowly and despised.

But it is God’s foolishness, which is wiser than human wisdom.

It is God’s weakness, which is stronger than human strength.

In other words, it is in justice, and kindness, and humility,

         that the strength and wisdom and worth of God is revealed.

There’s a lot being said these days about

         how to Make Things Great Again.

We want to be a great person

         by holding fast to all our New Years resolutions.

We want to make our church great

         by calling the perfect pastor

         and performing the perfect music

         and filling the pews and the bank accounts.

We want to make America great

         by rewarding all the good and deserving people

         and keeping out all the bad and undeserving ones.

We want to be successful,

         and in so doing,

         we risk losing our ability to be faithful.

And God tells us, over and over again,

         that success means nothing,

         and faithfulness means everything.

Last April this congregation made its own statement that reflects the specific nature of this call. It’s on the inside front cover of your bulletin. It reads as follows:

“Assured of the new life we have received in Christ, we will live out our faith together through worship, prayer, education, fellowship, and mission.  Being called to love all people, we will use our gifts to serve God in an imperfect world.  Equipped with our faith and filled with the Spirit, we will:    

·       reach out in acceptance to a diverse community;

·       embrace the marginalized and show love to all;

·       feed the hungry and care for the sick;

·       search for peace and work for justice.”

Your work from this day forward, your call from God, is defined. Now it is time to seek the leadership that will work alongside you to fulfill it. And, now is also the time, at the same time, to work to fulfill it together, as God’s people.

Yesterday J Herbert Nelson, the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), published a statement on behalf of the Office of General Assembly that also reflects the specific nature of our call. I will read it:

“Yesterday President Donald Trump signed an executive order to allegedly protect the nation from terrorists entering the United States. In practice, however, this order serves to further harm those who are the very victims of terrorism, genocide, religious and gender-based persecution, and civil war.

Right now, across the globe, there are families grabbing their bags and clinging to each other as they tearfully flee the home they love, the home they never wanted to leave, because home is no longer safe. And many, after being fully vetted by a legal refugee entry process, are not being allowed to enter the U.S. and are being wrongfully detained at airports across the country.

This is a miscarriage of justice and goes against everything we stand for as a country shaped and formed by people who emanated from other lands.

As the top ecclesial officer of the nation’s largest Reformed body, I urge the president and his administration to reverse this very harmful decision regarding refugees. Presbyterians are not afraid of this so-called terror threat. We are not afraid because we profess a faith in Jesus, who entered the world a refugee.

We are not afraid because, just as we welcome Jesus every advent, we have chosen to welcome our brothers and sisters into this nation from across the globe. Presbyterians chose welcome after World War II when we, as a denomination, demanded that the U.S. allow more refugees to enter then. We chose welcome when our very congregations served as the host sites to refugees in the years before resettlement agencies. And, Presbyterians choose welcome now as we co-sponsor families resettling to the U.S. from Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Burma, Bhutan, and other countries.

With every choice of welcome we enter into relationship with people who become neighbors, friends, and family. No administration can convince us to fear.

We oppose this administration’s decision to prolong each and every refugee’s wait for a place to call home under the false pretense of security. We stand ready to welcome our new neighbors, friends, and family of all faiths and nations.”

Both of these statements are rooted and grounded in the three calls from God through Micah – do justice, love kindness, walk humbly.

So – what does it take to be a truly great person?

         Just this: Do justice, and love kindness,

                  and walk humbly with God.

What does it take to be a truly great church?

         Just this: Do justice, and love kindness,

                  and walk humbly with God.

What does it take to be a truly great nation?

         Just this: Do justice, and love kindness,

         and walk humbly with God.

What does it take to be a great world?

         Just this: Do justice, and love kindness,

                  and walk humbly with God.

We know what God calls us to be and to do –

         as individuals, as congregations, as nations, as the world.

We are able,

         because God loves us with a steadfast love

         because Christ goes before us with amazing grace,

         and because the Holy Spirit strengthens us

                  in sweet communion.

No matter where our ministries take us,

         as we go out from this place,

         let us bind ourselves together to be God’s people

         and to do God’s work of justice, and loving-kindness,

         and humility, today and every day of our lives.