Sermon Tone Analysis

Old Testament Jeremiah 17:5–10

Psalm Psalm 1

New Testament 1 Corinthians 15:12–20

Gospel Luke 6:17–26

If you like to see everything in black and white, yes or no, cats or dogs, these passages are both appealing and dangerous.

If you like nuance and gray area, they are troubling and hard to deal with.

From Presbyterian Outlook: Clearly, I am looking for nuance, gray area, the ability to add my own, more comfortable interpretation to these texts.

But what if I set that temptation aside and, as those medieval clerics did, start with the literal interpretation of the text, the simple reading, the most straightforward understanding.

What would that be?

Put your trust in God.

Question your certainty about yourself, your abilities, power, wisdom and strength.

Practice a good dose of humility.

God provides, sustains, gives the growth.

Do not equate earthly success with divine approval.

That means setting aside the prosperity gospel.

That means we can't assume that those who are suffering are a) being punished by God b) deserve their plight c) are in such dire straights because of something they have done.

That interpretation would be counter to the Word of God.

It’s not about the way the world thinks things work.

And Luke doesn’t sugar coat things the way Matthew does.

In Matthew’s beatitudes, he says blessed are the poor in spirit and blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, while Luke simply says, “Blessed are the poor and the hungry.”

All are Blessed

Three weeks from today, Martha, Tom, and I will be packed and heading out for Rwanda to meet with church leaders to learn about forgiveness.

In 1994, Rwanda was the site of what is undoubtedly one of the worst genocides in history.

Around a million people were killed in 100 days because of their ethnic identity.

Pray for us, because it’s going to be intense.

We won’t come back to you the same Charissa, Martha, and Tom that we left as.

One of the things that I both love and hate about these Peacemaking study trips is that they confront you head on with the pain and injustice in the world.

We’ve started our reading and group reflection in preparation for Rwanda, and it’s intense.

I was sort of prepared for that this time, having had similar readings to do for the Israel/Palestine trip last year.

If you’re thinking of joining me for one of these trips next year, get your reading glasses out.

These aren’t “we’re gonna build a school” kind of mission trips, but neither are they just group tours to go site-seeing.

The book I’m currently reading is full of interviews with Hutu soldiers talking about the mobs they participated in to kill innocent Tutsi neighbors.

The book I read before this is stories of forgiveness - Tutsi survivors reaching out and forgiving repentant attackers who had killed their friends and family.

It’s based on the documentary “As We Forgive” which I highly recommend to all of you to watch as you’re praying for the team.

This the sort of stuff that you have to read and watch in little pieces because it’s just too intense to take in at once.

As far as I can tell, the biggest catalyst in all of this was the wealthy, privileged colonizers coming in, taking advantage of and misunderstanding the local people, then just. . .

leaving.

It’s a similar story in other parts of the world too - maybe not as recent, or as consolidated in a tiny place and time, but it’s happened in many places around the world.

It’s interesting, because for a long time, mission trip was associated with humanitarian aid or spreading the gospel, but the world has changed a great deal since the days of the missionary heroes I read about and looked up to as a kid.

(Again - I know . . .

I was a weird kid.)

Today, there are still many places that need humanitarian aid, but there are more effective ways of providing that than going to build a house for someone.

And most of the places in the world that are the least in need of humanitarian aid are the ones that are the most in need of the gospel.

So what does that mean for mission today?

It means that it’s pretty darned important for us to go learn from others in different places and bring it back here to spread the gospel in our own time and place where it is becoming less and less a part of our cultural narrative.

And according to Luke, we have a great deal to learn from those who are in the darkest of worldly circumstances.

There will never be a shortage of places to explore on these learning trips, because there are always places in the world that are plagued with war and poverty.

And not just poverty, but POVERTY.

The 32 hours between meals, less than $2/day income, no clean water kind of poverty.

This is not to poo-poo the poverty and financial inequality we see in our own part of the world, but rather to put into perspective that this is what Jesus is talking about when he says “poor” in the context of this passage.

This is the sort of poverty that we are confronted with on these trips.

And as difficult as it is, it’s so important for us in the West to acknowledge that struggle and to meet people in those places and get to know them because they know God’s blessing in ways we will always struggle to understand.

It’s important for us to understand that we, sitting here in our warm church building in our nice clothes, having driven here or gotten a ride here in a warm car or bus (or maybe just walked a block or two in a warm coat), are solidly among those Jesus is warning in this passage.

“Woe” can be a hard word to contend with, especially when we know it’s aimed at us.

We like to gloss over or soften the blow of passage like this in our location in the world.

We look at the “Blessed are” section of the passage and sweep quickly through the “Woe to”.

We want to know that when the rug is swept out from under us entirely, God will be there, but we don’t want to confront the idea that God does not ask for or even accept the half-heartedness that comes from not having to rely on God as much as the poor and hungry do.

“Woe” can be a hard word to contend with.

We like to gloss over or soften the blow of passage like this in our location int he world because we are among those that Jesus is warning in this passage.

But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made.

What you have is all you’ll ever get.

25  And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself.

Your self will not satisfy you for long.

And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games.

There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.

26  “There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them.

Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors!

Your task is to be true, not popular.

You tell you kid not to touch a hot stove, but you’re not the one who actually burns them.

“Christians are to have a Jesus-first agenda.

Not country first.

Not family first.

Not wealth first.

Not fame first.

Not power first.

Not security first.

Not safety first.

Jesus takes priority and all else comes after our loyalty, allegiance and service to him.

The Bible is clear about this truth.”

-https://pres-outlook.org/2019/02/my-jesus-first-agenda/?fbclid=IwAR0h7L4YjxccAwDXHFscc5wxBET5S5bGA6Wm0d_P2Ttpd_qS6a2FEHiZt6Y

God does not ask for half-heartedness.

God does not even accept half-heartedness.

From Pres Outlook article: “Christians are to have a Jesus-first agenda.

Not country first.

Not family first.

Not wealth first.

Not fame first.

Not power first.

Not security first.

Not safety first.

Jesus takes priority and all else comes after our loyalty, allegiance and service to him.

The Bible is clear about this truth.”

There is a reason we tend to use Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes far more often than Luke’s.

Matthew is much gentler.

Luke doesn’t sugar coat anything and it makes it really uncomfortable for us sitting here very far away from no clean water, famine level, refugee type poverty and strife.

Matthew and Luke are doing a bit of a good cop, bad cop routine with the gospel here and we’d rather talk to the good cop.

In Matthew’s beatitudes, he says blessed are the poor in spirit and blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, while Luke simply says, “Blessed are the poor and the hungry.”

There is a reason we tend to use Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes far more often than Luke’s.

Matthew is much gentler.

Luke doesn’t sugar coat anything.