Pentecost Sixteen
My friends, I greet you this morning in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our lesson for today is from the thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel. “So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.”
Now maybe you are asking yourself, “why in the world did he pick this text to preach on?” And if you are, don’t feel bad. I’ve been asking the same question all week. After I preached my last sermon I decided that I wanted to preach on the Old Testament text. Of course when I made that decision I had no clue as to what the text was. So I was a more than a little stunned when I finally looked it up.
But you know, as I have wrestled with this passage of scripture throughout the week, I have really enjoyed the journey. I pray that as I share that journey with you, it will be a blessing for you too.
So how do we apply this text to our lives? What does it mean for us today? A very surface glance at it seems to be telling us to call out the wicked. The Lord says,
“(Ezekiel 33:8-9 )8 If I say to the wicked, "O wicked ones, you shall surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.”
As I read these words I imagine in my mind a guy on a street corner. Wearing a sign and yelling at people as they walk by. We are to find the wicked ones and tell them to turn away from their wicked ways. And if we fail to do this job, then we will be held responsible for them. Do these words strike fear into your hearts? They do mine. But is this the best understanding of the text? I don’t think so. To read these words as saying that we are to go out and seek the wicked and tell them to turn from their wicked ways this could get us into wicked trouble. Not to mention the fact that that is not how the rest of Scripture tells us to deal people. So maybe that thought isn’t the best one to take from this text. Let’s look at it in another light.
The Lord says to Ezekiel, “So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.” When he says this, he is giving Ezekiel a mission. Ezekiel is to be a sentinel, that is a watchman. He is the look out guy. He is like the one who stands on the city wall and watches for the enemy. This mission is a tough mission. The circumstances are not ideal. I mean Ezekiel is living amongst a group of people who are in exile. Their enemies, the Babylonians came into the homes of these people and forced them to leave. They were driven far away from their homes, from their families, from their temple, where the presence of God dwelt amongst them. They are feeling crushed, and abandoned. They are saying to themselves, “(Ezekiel 33:10) Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?" And Ezekiel is given this mission. It seems rough. It seems tough. It seems impossible. Yet this is what God is calling him to do. Can you relate?
Connected to Christ, Committed to Serve. Our mission statement. Six short words. But what they require is a lot. The connected to Christ stuff is wonderful. We know the blessings of a relationship with him and that is what enables us to be committed to Serve. But the serving part requires sacrifice. It requires going forward in faith. It requires us leaving our comfort zone so that we continue to take the good news of God’s great love for the people of this world out into this world. So that we can say, God loved you so much that he sent Jesus to die for you. And he was raised on the third day and now we have a relationship with God. We have forgiveness for our sins. We have everlasting life.
The mission that God calls us to is not always the easiest ones. Take for example the June 5th decision, as it is known of around here. The choice to step out in faith and to relocate so that the ministry of Our Father Lutheran Church can expand and grow. So that as we are connected to Christ, we can then enable more people to know the joys and blessings of being connected to him as well. It is scary, but with God all things are possible.
Now all this talk about mission is certainly true. There is no doubt about that. However where the doubt does come in is if these verses in the thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel are talking about mission in this way. So even though these are good thoughts, and even though we find them throughout God’s Word, maybe they aren’t the best ones to be taking away from this text. (PAUSE) Hmmm. Maybe we need to switch our thinking again.
Since Monday is labor day, here is a story about work. Dr. Terry Teykl tells about a mayor of a small town who was going through the city square. This was a beautiful place. The grass was rich and green. The flowers were in bloom and sported rich colors. The trees provide many places of shelter from the hot summer sun. It was truly a gorgeous place. And such a wonderful place required lot of work to keep up. The mayor happened to notice a couple of workers going up Main Street. Each one carried a shovel. One would go and dig a hole and then the other would come up right behind him and would fill the hole back in. The mayor observed this spectacle for quite a while until his curiosity finally got the best of him and he went up to workers to inquire about all the digging and filling that was going on. The one who dug the holes, leaned on his shovel, wiped the sweat off his forehead and said. “We are the city tree planting crew. But the guy who plants the trees called in sick this morning.”
Being part of a team is important. As the saying goes there is no “I” in team. If one member is out of commission then the team just doesn’t work like it is supposed to. And we see that with our tree planting crew. But you know, you and I are part of something that is much more important than a team. It’s much more significant than a cadre. It’s much more substantial than a crew. You and I are a part of a community of faith. The connection that you and I have to Christ, also connects us to one another. And since we are part of a community of faith that means that you and I are responsible to and for one another.
This idea of community of faith, and living life as a part of such community is the key to understanding what is going on in the thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel. Just as Ezekiel was given the responsibility of being a watchman for the house of Israel. Just as he was responsible to and for them. The same is true for you and me.
This is the idea that we see in our Epistle lesson. Paul writes to the Romans, “(Romans 13:8-10) 8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” This is huge. This is key. Loving one another means serving one another. And we do this because this is what people who are part of a community of faith do.
Being in a community of faith not only shows that you and I love one another, but that God loves us. We know his love because he placed us into this community. The fact that God gave Ezekiel as watchmen for the house of Israel shows how much God loves the house of Israel. Even though they felt weighed down by the burden of their sins. The very first message that God gave for Ezekiel to give to those people was, “(Ezekiel 33:11) As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?” The message is one of hope and forgiveness. And Ezekiel’s role in the community is a sign of God’s love for that community of faith.
The same is true for you and me. God has given us to each other. You to me. Me to you. You to you. Each of us to the other. Why? Because of his great love for us. You all have certainly been a blessing to me and my family. And I hope that I am able to be a blessing to you. So we live together in this community of faith. And now that we understand that we are living as people in a community of faith, we can understand this text better.
When God tells Ezekiel to call out the wicked. He is not doing it in a way that would place himself above them. He is not doing it in a way that is judgmental. He is simply delivering a message. Because as a member of the community of faith he does it for their own benefit. It won’t always be easy, but it is motivated by God’s love.
So for us in this community of faith, when one member of our community has a problem with another member, and that will happen, we find directions for how to deal with that situation in our Gospel text. Jesus said, “(Matthew 18:15-17) If another member of the church1 sins against you,2 go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.3 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Motivated by God’s love, and our connection to Christ we not only go, but we keep on going until the difference has been worked out. This is how problems are to be dealt with in the community of faith.
Within the context of the community of faith, and motivated by God’s love I see these verses in Matthew 18 in the same light as what God is telling Ezekiel to do in chapter 33. This is certainly different than that first reading which seemed to say seek out the wicked and call them out.
Being in this community of faith we don’t just deal with problems between individuals. But we walk together in this life. We care for one another. We support one another. We pray with and for one another. When someone is sick, when a baby is born, when there is loss of a loved one, this community pulls together. Meals are delivered. Cards are mailed. Phone calls are made. It is truly a beautiful thing.
When one of us hurts, we all hurt. But being in a community of faith we are surround by love and hope and comfort. Yes the community of faith that we belong to is certainly special. And you know it is not limited to these walls. Because our community of faith is an entire Christian community. It spans the boundaries of space and time. When one of us hurts we all hurt.
This week there has been a lot of focus on the gulf coast region. Some of you have friends and loved ones down there. I can’t even begin to imagine what that is like for you, or for them. But know that you have our love, prayers and support. Also there are ways that we can come together to provide aid to help the people who were affected by the hurricane. Thrivent will give 50 cents for every dollar thrivent members donate, and up to $300. Local radio stations are collecting bottles of water to drive down there. There are many ways that we can help. Because we are motivated by God’s love for us. God’s forgiveness of our sins. God’s placing you and me into a community of faith. And as members of a community of faith, we look out for one another. May God bless our lives together. And may they be comforted by his grace, peace and forgiveness, and may they bring glory to him always. Amen.