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.