SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2025 | EPIPHANY SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY (C)

Text notes:

Jeremiah: It is important to trust in the Lord and not just the world! Without trust in the Lord, the life is desolate.

1 Corinth:

Resurrection of the dead matters -> we cannot avoid the supernatural, the belief in the supernatural that cannot be fully explained -> Christ’s resurrection is a mystery and yet full of meaning and purpose

Luke: Jesus is about theory AND praxis -> both at the same time.

Sermon on the Mount: God’s grace is effective differently for different people - for the needy, it will be liberation x for the affluent, it will be a wake up call. The oppressed are called away from the cross towards the empty tomb and the rich are called away from the tomb towards the cross.

Good morning for one more time as this is my last Sunday after all. One more Sunday to worship the Lord and proclaim the Lord with you all!

And we've got some good texts for just that! Texts tnat both exhort and also celebrate. Jeremiah kicks off strong: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strenght, whose hearts turn away from the Lord! And the antithesis is Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

In 1 Corinthians, we have Paul riling against people that do not believe in the resurrection of the dead, because “then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain.” However, Paul doesn’t leave it at that and provides a counterpoint: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died....and if we go a little bit beyond our reading: For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

And finally in our gospel reading, we have the Sermon on the Mount, where the oppressed will be lifted up and the mighty will be cast down - the great reversal, a shift of power.

So what do we make of these texts? I think that if somebody tells you that our faith is easily understandable, they are skipping over a lot. The basic message is fairly simple -we believe in God that created everything, sustains everything, loves everything, and offers redemption to all. But all the details, such as Christ’s resurrection, fearing and obeying God, and the concept of Kingdom of God can be hard to understand to our human minds.

Similarly, the basis of a community is simple at first - a gathering of people united around an idea, a shared sense of identity, and/or common history. But a community of Jesus followers? Things can get complicated fast as such community is united on a basis of a living and developing idea - God may be one and unchanging, but God’s creation and our understanding of both sure isn’t. The community I have entered three years ago is quite a bit different now, like a river ever shifting, ebbing and flowing. If you hope that a church community can be an unchanging rock in a sea of change - I am sorry, that is not possible.

However, it is the basis of this change that matters - out in the world, the change is often prompted by desperation, external pressures, or perhaps appeasement of those with power and influence. In a church community, it doesn’t have to be so, at least not entirely. The change can be prompted by gratitude, love, and commitment inspired by the Holy Spirit towards one another, God and the world. There is an opportunity to rise above the worldly causes and choose fulfilling the mission from God first and foremost. Of course, the practical matters cannot be wholly removed from the equation, but they shouldn’t dominate the conversation either. The point shouldn’t be keeping the lights on and filling the pews. Both can help the mission, but they are NOT the mission.

It is this transcendence that Jesus calls us to in his exhortation in Luke - poor will own the kingdom, the hungry will be filled, the mournful will laugh....and the dead will come alive again. But woe to the rich, satisfied, cheerful, and popular. In short, the ones without a worry in the world. And I think it is true for any age, if I say that really only applies to the top 0.1%, because honestly....how many people can truly claim that truthfully and without delusion?

Because it doesn’t only require a level of wealth beyond our imagination, but also a degree of self-centerdness that is simply off the charts. The less you focus on just you, the more you start worrying. It is easier not to worry about mass deportations if you do not care about the immigrants around you, it is easier not to worry about the rhetoric against young women, trans people, or gays if you don’t care about them, it is much easier not to worry about the Russian threat to Ukrainians, if you don’t care for them...you get the idea

As someone who is engaged in DEI work, I fully understand why it is in the crosshairs of the powerful top 0.1% - diversity fosters just the kind of worry they abhor and avoid as much as possible - the care for the other that is not me and like me. But that is not the way of Jesus.

In some regards, our job is the very opposite - the care for the neighbor is the very worship of God as we are to see Jesus in the least of these and treat them as such. I believe that by worrying for others, we are not at any risk to become the ones spoken about in the gospel text - it will not make you rich, exceedingly cheerful, widely popular and while it may give you some satisfaction, it will also break your heart. By associating with the least of these, we are fulfilling God’s mission entrusted to us and we are actually bringing about God’s will on earth as it is in heaven! How cool is that? When we feed the hungry, when we lift up the oppressed, when we cheer up the weeping...!

That is the good news - when we help others, we fulfill this very scripture. That is the power of a living and loving community in Christ, participating in the reconciliation of God’s promises with the world, so that all people can be loved and cared for. In that we will be abundantly blessed and rejuvenated, following in the footsteps of Jesus. It was my privilege to serve here with you in South Plainfield and I pray that you will continue this work for many years to come. The very same work I will continue elsewhere and yet in union with you in the body of Christ.

To God be glory forever and ever, amen.