A Sword or A Dream? – 1/18/09

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. It was a dream rooted in the American Dream. It was a dream with which we are all familiar. In fact, it was a dream for all of us. In his dream he saw a nation. He saw sons of slave owners and sons of slaves. He saw his four little children. With them were little, black boys and black girls and little, white boys and white girls. He saw black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics. He saw every village and every hamlet, every state and every city. And, he saw mountains. He saw mountains from New Hampshire and New York to Colorado and California; right on through Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. This dream of his was a dream of justice.

You see that nation he saw was a nation that believed that all men were created equal. Those sons of slave owners and sons of slaves weren’t at odds with one another, but were sitting at the table of brotherhood together. His four little children weren’t be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Those little, black boys and girls and those little, white boys and girls were joining their hands as sisters and brothers. In his dream the sweltering heat of injustice and oppression was being transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. In his dream the jangling discords of a nation were transformed into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

That’s because all of those people were joining in a song. In his dream, Martin Luther King Jr. heard a sound; a ringing sound. It was the sound of freedom ringing out from all of those mountain tops. Freedom was ringing from every mountaintop in New Hampshire and New York right across to Colorado and California. Freedom was ringing in every village and hamlet, in every city and state. The glory of the Lord was shining all around them and all of those black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics were joined in a song with the words, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” It was a good dream. It’s not unlike Isaiah’s dream.

Isaiah’s dream was also rooted in the promises of a nation; in the promises of Israel. He saw people of many tribes and languages, from many nations. And he saw mountains; mountains from every nation under heaven. But all of these people from all of these nations were making their way to just one of these mountains. In Isaiah’s dream, one of these mountains had risen above the rest. In Isaiah’s dream, the people were taking their swords and beating them into plowshares. The nations were taking the spears and pounding them into pruning hooks. You see Isaiah’s dream was a dream of justice too. God would do justice for the nations. “Come,” Isaiah heard them say, “let us go up to the mountain of the Lord that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” God would settle their disputes so that they wouldn’t have to. Nation would no longer lift up sword against nation and they would not even learn about war anymore.

Just this last week, a radio station in India rediscovered a radio address given my Martin Luther King Jr. after his trip there in India in 1959. He had made his way around the country to listen to the followers of Gandhi and hear their stories of independence and freedom. He left that country more convinced then ever that he would promote non-violent action as a strategy for the civil rights movement. In his radio address he said, “Today we no longer have a choice between violence and non-violence; it is either non-violence or non-existence.” It was quite a statement in his time. People were not so much were about swords as they were about nuclear weapons. But since being in India, he saw non-violent protest as the most potent weapon available. This morning we wonder if Jesus would agree.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Yes, this is Jesus speaking here. Yes, it is the same Jesus who said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Yes, the same Jesus about whose birth the angels sang, “On earth, peace among those whom he favors.” Yes, the same Jesus who put away Peter’s sword saying, “For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” The same Jesus is now saying that he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Has Jesus forgotten the Word of the Lord that came to Isaiah; that nation will not lift up sword against nation? On more than one occasion, I have heard preachers and teachers use these words used to justify the use of violence and war. If they are right, then Martin Luther King Jr. was wrong.

They might have a point. After the sword comes this nightmare, “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” Apparently, Jesus has come to start family battles or civil wars among us. At least, that’s what we might believe had we stopped there. But there very next line yanks us from sleep and leaves us stumbling to find our way. Jesus says, “one’s enemies will be members of one’s own household.” It’s not enough that Jesus should say that we will be turned against our families. Jesus is saying that they will be replaced by our enemies. In these strange words, Jesus is saying that he has come to have us treat our families like enemies and our enemies like family. What is he getting at here? What is this sword that he has come to bring?

“For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates to dividing soul and spirit; joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart,” writes the author of the letter to the Hebrews. In similar fashion, Paul advises the Ephesians, “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” We don’t have to look any further than these words to understand that what Jesus is saying is that not everyone is going to like what he has to say. When Jesus says, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword,” he means that his words will cause division among people. A man may want to follow him, while his father wants to crucify him. A daughter may want to praise him while her mother would curse him. At the same time, these same words might just reconcile enemies as two foes find themselves in the same sanctuary worshipping the same Lord. Jesus’ words turn out to be a lot more similar to Isaiah’s than at first glance.

“Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples.” Again, we have the Word of the Lord. Again, we have the word of the Lord dividing the nations and judging them and settling their disputes. What separates Isaiah’s dream from Jesus’ nightmare is that everyone in Isaiah’s vision seems to accept the judgments that God is making. They are willing to take the weapons of war and turn them into tools for agriculture. They will no longer lift up their swords because they will be walking on the path of the Lord. They will no longer learn war anymore because God is teaching them his ways. It is through Jesus, the Word made flesh, that Isaiah’s vision took root. Through Jesus, God began teaching the nations his ways. Sadly, not everyone likes what they hear.

Not everyone likes to hear that we are called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Not everyone likes to hear, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.” Even today, not everyone likes to hear that we are all made in the image of God regardless of race or class. These words of God cut us to the heart like a two-edged sword. These words of God judge the attitudes and thoughts of our heart that are still hateful and prejudiced. More than anything, perhaps, these words reveal to us our fears. Our fear of not being in control, our fear of being harmed, and, ultimately, our fear of death. We fear laying down our swords, laying down our lives for our enemies because we fear they might take it from us. A good dream does little to protect us or so we think.

On the night before Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, he said, “And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!

With those words Martin Luther King Jr. captured the essence of what Jesus said to all his disciples, “Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both the soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father…So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” In his speech and in his life of non-violent action, Martin Luther King Jr. had grasped how important he was to God and how little any man could really do to him. As he said, “I just want to do God’s will…I’m not fearing any man!” In his words and in his actions of non-violence Martin Luther King Jr. was acknowledging Jesus before others. He had become a disciple. He had become a witness to Isaiah’s dream and Jesus’ words. He had accepted the judgment that is found in them, but he had also embraced the promise that is found there.

“Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” There is judgment in that those who will not take up their cross will not be worthy of the reward. But there is a great promise that if we will lay down our lives for the sake of Jesus we will find a new life that is the stuff dreams are made of. We will find a life that is without swords and spears and war; a life without the sweltering heat of injustice and oppression; a life spent by a heavenly oasis of freedom and justice. We will find a life where people are judged by the content of their character; a life where enemies sit down together at the table of brotherhood; a life where little children of all races can play together as brothers and sisters; a life in which we know how precious we are and how fearfully and wonderfully we have been made. This is the life Jesus promised to all who would follow him.

This morning we are ordaining and installing new elders and new deacons. Yesterday, the full Consistory got together to share some of our hopes for the future of hope. We might say we shared some of our dreams; dreams for growth, for caring, for joy. Together, we began promising that we would help you live into those dreams. We also talked about what it means for us to be disciples. Together, we began promising that we would focus our work on helping all of you become disciples, to enter more fully into the life that Jesus has promised you, to guide you into God’s presence, to learn God’s ways, and walk down God’s paths without fear. Some of you we may have to pull, some we may have to prod, you might not always like it, but there is a life that Jesus has called us to live. God has called elders and deacons to lead us in that life.

This is our Hope. To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr, “This the faith that we do church with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a symphony of brotherhood and sisterhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” Together we share his dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low; the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” It’s a good dream. Amen.

Who Let Them In? – 1/11/09

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Those passages don’t sound like Epiphany. I thought it was Epiphany Sunday.” If we were following the usual lectionary you would have heard about the three wise men or magi or kings or whatever they are that come from the east. We would have heard about frankincense and gold and myrhh. Herod would have been sneaking around trying to figure out who this baby is that these foreigners have traveled to see; this baby who they say is born king of the Jews. The baby would be found in a house in Bethlehem the city of David, and they would be overwhelmed with joy to find him there. That’s the usual story. But this morning we heard an entirely different story. That’s because we’re using an entirely different lectionary.

You may remember that since last September we have been trying to focus our attention on what the Bible has to say about justice. Now, I know that all of you have my sermons catalogued at home for easy reference, but just in case you don’t, I’d like to remind you about some of the things we’ve covered so far. In other words, what exactly has the Bible said about justice? The first thing to remember is that we do justice because God does justice. This is not primarily a political thing, it’s a theological thing. This was the sermon where I confessed that I scare Wil to keep him from going in the street. The point was to say that as we consider the Holy One among as a God of justice, we will do well to remember that the just judge is first and foremost a father. While God might discipline us, it is always so that we might become disciples. While God might send us away, it’s always so that we’ll come running back. Whether we’re talking about prison reform, inner city education, farming or food or family, we will do well to start with the notion that God wants everyone involved to be a part of the family and that doing justice is finding the ways to help them enter in. Justice starts with God and God’s family.

From there we looked at the virtues that put us on the path to justice. They aren’t rocket science, but they are very profound: faith, hope, and love. Faith trusts in God to care for us and guide us so that we can love others. Love pushes us to overcome the barriers that isolate us and draws us together as one family. Hope sustains us so that when the pursuit of justice seems like trudging through the mud, we continue down the path. These virtues make us who we are. If we are governed or ruled by anything else then we are living as children of some of other god. Faith, hope, and love form the DNA of the seed of reconciliation that grows into justice that blooms into worldwide communion. It’s to reconciliation and communion that we turn to next.

It’s important to note how reconciliation plays a role in doing justice. Reconciliation is what makes justice different from charity. Charity can keep people at arm’s length. Justice requires that we restore relationships. We often think of justice in big, systemic terms. Justice has to do with politics and economics, with governments and nations. But we will never have justice without reconciliation. We will never live in a world that is more fair and right if the people in that world can’t trust one another and reconcile with one another. Paul wrote that, in Christ, God broke down the dividing wall that is the hostility between people. Paul is saying that it’s the church’s job to show the rest of the world what that reconciliation looks like. Paul refers to the church as ambassadors for Christ with a message and that message is one of reconciliation.

The hope of all this talk of justice is that it becomes a normal part of our lives. You may not remember any of the other sermons, but I know you remember the sermon that talked about pee and snot. The point of that sermon was to point out that more than social norms, we need justice norms. Rarely, does faith have anything to do with being normal and everything to do with justice and reconciliation. We need to be just as concerned with peace and reconciliation as we are with “please” and “thank-yous.” We need to make justice such a part of our life that we operate in it without even thinking; so that we lift the poor out of poverty as easily as we drive on the right side of the road; so that we’re as annoyed by the racial divide as we are by people who cut in line; so that we’re as upset by injustice as we are by the solicitor who calls at dinnertime. Justice norms, not social norms, is what God is looking for from us.

If justice can become a normal part of our lives, then we might also find that communion becomes a normal part of our lives. All of this justice ought to result in communion, worldwide communion hopefully. The sad truth of the world is that many of us remain strangers because of our skin color or because of the neighborhood we live in or because of the nation that we call home. The sad truth of the world is that we label strangers and their homes as unsafe and unwelcoming places. The sad truth of the world is that we let custom and culture get in the way of learning and love. But every time we gather around the Lord’s table we remember that God sent his Son and sends his Spirit to change all of that and create communion around the world that transcends tribe, nation, language, and people. This is the wonderful hope of the Bible. That one day, God our Father will send his son again to gather in all of God’s children to an eternal life of peace and joy. This is good news. This is the salvation that we have given our lives to. It is also the salvation that made Paul’s opponents so upset as we heard in the passage from Acts.

Strangely enough, it didn’t make them upset the first time they heard Paul’s words. The whole scene takes place on the Sabbath in a synagogue in Antioch. In that synagogue were Jews and converts to Judaism. On the prior Sabbath Paul and Barnabas entered and were encouraged to speak to the people. When Paul stood up he recounted the whole history of Israel and how Jesus was the savior that God had promised to all of Abraham’s descendents. He told them how Jesus had died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and how he was raised from the dead as the first sign of new life. “By this Jesus,” he said to the crowd, “everyone who believes is set free from their sins.” This was good news to their ears is it is to ours. In fact, as Paul and Barnabas were leaving on that Sabbath everyone encouraged them to come back and speak about that good news again. It says that the crowd urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath would be a different story.

I don’t know if even Paul and Barnabas anticipated the crowd that would show up the next Sabbath. But the whole city had turned out to hear the word of the Lord. No doubt many of them believed that they were coming to here more about the day of salvation that had arrived. We can guess that they believed they would hear words like we heard this morning from Isaiah. They wanted to hear from Paul that the day of salvation had arrived. That God had finally answered their pleas. They wanted to know that this Jesus was the one whom God had given to reestablish the land and draw out prisoners. They were expecting to hear about that this Jesus would put to an end hunger and thirst; that he would shelter them from scorching winds and the striking sun. The crowds were eager to hear that Jesus was the one who would lead them to quiet waters. All of the people in the synagogue just wanted a place that they could call home and they hoped that Jesus was the one who would take them there.

Of course, they’d be right about all of that, but there was something that they had overlooked. No doubt that there were many Jews there. No doubt many of the Jews from that first Sabbath went home and told all of their relatives about what they had heard. No doubt many Jews had come whose faith had withered. At the same time, all those devout converts from that first Sabbath would have gone home and told all of their relatives as well. No doubt many Gentiles had come whose faith might have just begun to bud. The whole city gathered together to hear the word of the Lord and that meant that many Jews were in the same building as many Gentiles. This was not how many of the Jews had pictured their day of salvation. Looking around at all the Gentiles that filled their synagogue many would have wondered, “Who let them in?” Filled with jealousy, they contradicted Paul and Barnabas on every account.

Paul and Barnabas drew everyone’s attention to that same passage from Isaiah. The same passage that spoke of the day of salvation also spoke of the servant of salvation. Of this servant, the Lord says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Basically, God is saying to his servant, “You know all that stuff about reestablishing the land, calling out prisoners, ending hunger and thirst, sheltering from wind and sun, and leading to quiet waters? Well, I’ve decided it will be too easy for you to do that for just one nation. I’m going to have you do it for all the nations. Yes, my salvation is for all the nations. Through you, I will do what all the kings and princes could not.”

Paul and Barnabas understood themselves to be following in the steps of God’s chosen servant. They understood themselves to be carrying that light to the nations. When the Gentiles heard this they were ecstatic and many of them became believers. We can certainly understand that experience. All of us sit here today because we have responded to the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Having put our trust in him, we have been set free from the sin that had us bound and are following Christ into a new life of heaven on earth. We are glad because of that good news and praise the Lord for it. The Jews, however, did not hear with the same ears. They incited devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. But it was too late, Paul and Barnabas and planted the seed and now despite their best efforts the word of the Lord kept spreading. If we step back for a moment we might find that we understand the experience of the Jews more than we think we do.

I’m thinking of our adult education hour last week during which three scenarios were put before us. All of them explored Hope Reformed Church and the possibility of a multi-racial future. I realize that it’s difficult to listen while you’re trying to think, but I wonder if you could recall which word was spoken most often in that hour? It was fear. There was a fear that we would be unable to support the idea financially. There was a fear that more people would be a drain on our time and energy. There was a fear that other people would want too many changes. There was a fear that it would be hard work. There was a fear we wouldn’t be able to adjust. There was a fear of things that we couldn’t even name.

In today’s adult education hour we’ll be taking a look at the issue of immigration; an issue that is as old as the country itself. Conversations around immigration involved many of the same fears. There is a fear that too many immigrants will be a drain on our economy. There is a fear that if we let the immigrants in they will change things and we will have to change. There is a fear that if people from other countries come they are going to ruin this country and take our jobs. It was true for the Irish. It was true for the Italians. It was true for Catholics. It was true for the Chinese, for the Japanese, and today it’s true for people from many of the Spanish speaking countries to the south. Many of us share those same fears.

Now we’re not bad people any more than those Jews were who incited persecution against Paul and Barnabas. We’re not bad people, but we are people. “Who let them in?” is almost a natural reaction to strangers. People have a tendency to fear the unknown. The Jews had plenty to fear. They had received as much persecution and prejudice as they had handed out. They were witness to many of the strange religious practices of their Gentile neighbors. They were aware of the strict codes of conduct that God had called them to follow; codes that Gentiles broke in what they ate and how they washed and sometimes just in being Gentile. There were too many barriers for this to work. Too many Gentiles would ruin the synagogue.

It bothers me to no end when pastor’s use passages to support their own projects. So, I won’t say this morning that this passage proves that Hope should become a multi-racial church. I can’t say that this passage from Acts supports looser immigration policies. What it does say to us is that, like Paul and Barnabas, the Lord has commanded us to be a light to the nations. When we entered into God’s salvation we were also sent out so that God’s salvation would reach to the ends of the earth. The word of the Lord will continue to spread throughout this region and all those whom God has chosen will become believers. They will need a place to worship. There is little to fear because this is God’s doing. This is what Epiphany is all about.

Epiphany is a picture of God doing justice; of a father gathering in his children; of reconciliation and communion. Just as Paul and Barnabas left Antioch filled with joy and the Holy Spirit to go share the good news in another city, those three wise men left the side of the baby Jesus overwhelmed with joy to go share what they had seen. Days after Jesus was born, God’s plan took shape as the nations knelt at Jesus’ tiny feet to pay him homage. Thousands of years later, the nations continue to pay Jesus homage, to follow in his steps and carry his light, to do justice and put an end to hunger and thirst, to call out prisoners, to shelter from wind and sun, to lead to quiet waters of salvation. So, sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! In their joy, Paul and Barnabas, the wise men, joined the great chorus of heaven and earth rejoicing that God’s salvation has come. Today, Epiphany Sunay, we rejoice as well, that in Jesus Christ, our salvation has come. Sing for joy, for the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones. Amen