Stay and love. February 20, 2022. The Rev. Kathleen M. Sturges

Luke 6:27-38

Children’s sermons - they’re a funny beast because you never know how they will go. Like will there be enough kids? Will they respond to whatever question you ask? Will they be especially squirmy that morning?  Or will one sibling sit on another and make them scream? Really the possibilities are practically endless. But thankfully, Emily, our Children, Youth, and Family Minister, is masterful in rolling with whatever the children or the Spirit throws at her. Like two Sundays ago at the 9:00 service, it was great to see a large gaggle of kids come forward. Emily began by asking them to share memories of some of their best presents. Some talked about getting a dog as a gift, others about a cherished stuffed animal, another a bike. It was all going pretty much to plan as Emily tied that introduction into talking about how God’s love and presence is really the best present of all, And just when everything was about to wrap up one girl’s arm shot up into the air. It seemed safe to assume that she too wanted to share her favorite present. So Emily called on her. And out of the blue the girl asked, “Does God love bad guys?” It had nothing to do with anything that had come before, but it was this girl’s burning question. Without hesitation Emily commended the girl on what a great question it was, and that there was a lot to say about it, however, there wasn’t enough time so the short answer was, “Yes, God loves bad guys.” And then she sent everyone back to their seats.

But I want to revisit that question. Because Emily was right, God does love bad guys. In our reading from the gospel of Luke we hear how God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked because at the core of who God is, is mercy. Which means that not only does God love bad guys, but we, as children of a merciful God, are to love bad guys too. Jesus puts it this way, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Honestly, I’d like to file these words under the heading, “Things I Wish Jesus Never Said” because what he is talking about here is just plain hard. You could even argue, unnatural. I mean our very brains are wired to respond to enemies or bad guys or to any kind of threat in one of two ways, fight or flight. But Jesus calls us to a different way. Instead of fight or flight, the third way is to stay and to love.

So he gives us some examples. When someone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other one. Or if someone takes your coat, hand over your shirt too. (Probably more things we wish Jesus never said.) But contrary to popular belief, he isn’t telling folks to be a doormat or submit to abuse or tolerate injustice in any way. That’s not what’s going on here. Biblical scholar Walter Wink argues that verses such as these are not a call to passively roll over in the face of aggression, but to powerfully engage in nonviolent action that is both creative and merciful.  

Cultural context is everything when it comes to understanding what Jesus meant here. Not to get too much into the weeds, but for example, when Jesus talks about offering the other cheek Dr. Wink points out that Jesus lived in a right-handed world. Left hands were strictly reserved for unclean tasks. Therefore, we can assume that the person doing the hitting would have used his right hand. And that, typically, it was the back of the hand that was used to strike which would land the blow on a person’s right cheek. (Actually in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus specifically says it’s the right cheek - 5:39.)  And the intention of striking a cheek is to humiliate, to put someone in their place, not necessarily to injure or start some barroom brawl. Rather, it’s about asserting status and power from a position of superiority with the expected response being cowering submission. But if the other cheek is offered, as Jesus says, it robs the aggressor of the power to humiliate and, instead, creates confusion. Because logistically, what can he do? He can no longer backhand with his right hand. He can’t use the taboo left hand. And if he uses his fist to strike he actually loses his superior status because at that time fistfights implied a struggle between equals. Offering the other cheek then is not an act of weakness but an act of power that strips the aggressor of his ability to dehumanize while bringing the wrongdoing into the light. 

There’s a similar dynamic at work when Jesus directs his followers to hand over their shirt if someone takes their coat. Because without coat and shirt a person is practically naked. And being seen this way was viewed as shameful, but Jesus intends that with the handing over of one’s shirt the shame moves to the one who robs and exploits so that, again, wrongdoing is exposed. And with that exposure there is a potential for positive change.

This third way - a way beyond fight or flight - the way of staying and loving one’s enemy is no easy task. And part of what makes this so hard is that the fruit of such labor is not typically instantaneous but borne over time. Yet when we respond otherwise, with aggression or avoidance it only perpetuates evil. As Martin Luther King Jr. wisely proclaimed, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate…Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Only love has the power to break the cycle of violence and make all that is wrong in our world right. And that love comes from God who is merciful. Kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. And thank God for that because sometimes it is we who are considered to be the ungrateful and the wicked, but that doesn’t stop God from loving us. And as we know the transforming power of that love in our own lives we can, with God’s help, respond to what is wrong, what is unjust, what is abusive in the strength of that love. A love that doesn’t roll over in the face of evil, but shines a light, God’s light, into the darkness until there is no darkness at all. So love your enemies, Jesus says. Love them creatively, mercifully, defiantly. For ultimately it is that love that will bring us into the fullness of life, a life we were all created for - all of us, even the bad guys.

 

 

 

So much greater. February 13, 2022. The Rev. David M. Stoddart

 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26

Do any of you remember Schlitz beer? I don’t know if they ever sold it in Virginia — I don’t know if they even make it any more. The beer itself is eminently forgettable, but I can still recall the television commercials for it I saw when I was a child. Their catchphrase was, “When you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer,” but what has stayed with me most vividly is this one ad. There’s a guy getting off a boat: I think he was a commercial fisherman coming home from a trip. He kisses this woman, presumably his wife or his girlfriend, and then all these smiling people join them for this big happy clambake on the beach. Meanwhile there’s a manly voiceover saying, “You only go around once in life, so you’ve gotta go for the gusto everyday.” It left an impression on me, but not a happy one. My ten-year-old brain would think, “We’ve only got this one life! This is it: the pressure is on! But what if you don’t have someone to kiss? What if your friends don’t throw a party for you? What if you miss out on the gusto? What if you mess up badly? What if you get cancer and die when you’re 20?! Gah!” I was an intense kid, but that kind of anxiety is not unique to me. The idea that we’ve only got one life to live and we better get it right or else is pretty common. And it has been running through my mind this week as I have pondered Paul’s momentous words to the Corinthians: If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

What is the purpose of this life? I realize that, day to day, most of us are just focused on doing what we’ve got to do: working, raising children, taking care of aging parents, fixing the leaky faucet in the kitchen, going to the store, going to church, and trying to have some fun in the midst of everything else. But here in worship together, we can pause, step back from all the busyness, and in the light of Christ, ask ourselves: Why do  we do what we do? What is the purpose of it all? And are we achieving that purpose? If the purpose of life is to live to the age of 100 and then die peacefully in your sleep, billions of people in human history will fail. If the purpose of  life is to become rich and famous, billions of people in human history will fail. If the purpose of life is to have a spouse and two children, living in a home you own with enough money to retire comfortably on, billions of people in human history will fail. If the purpose of life is to belong to the right religion and live an exemplary life following the precepts of that religion, billions of people in human history will fail. Is this life just a test that only a select few will pass? Would a God of love create a world where most of the inhabitants are doomed to failure?

I think the answer to that is a resounding “No.” Jesus Christ shows us the purpose of life, and that purpose is to expand the experience of love in every possible way. That is what Jesus does: whether he’s at a dinner party with the Pharisees or healing a leper, Jesus increases the amount of love in the world. There is no situation, no matter how mundane or how horrific, in which Jesus does not do that. Even dying on the cross, Jesus expands the experience of love. And with his Spirit we can all do that, regardless of our jobs, our talents, or our circumstances. We can manifest love while volunteering in the food pantry when we’re 80. We can manifest love while dying of leukemia at the age of 18. Rich people can do this. Poor people can do this. I’ve personally seen people of all ages and all life circumstances do this. That’s why we are here: to experience and reflect God’s love in every possible earthly situation. 

And if it seems unfair that some people get to know and share love into a prosperous old age while others do so only briefly before dying young and poor, then the words of Paul hit home: If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. Our faith calls us to understand that our life is an eternal one that goes far beyond our very brief sojourn on Earth, and that our “self” is so much greater than our current human embodiment. So regardless of our fortunes in this world, all shall be well. This is what Jesus assures us of in the Gospel today. Even if we are poor, hungry, weeping, and persecuted, we can grow in love and God will, in the world to come, redeem all our suffering — all of it — and turn it to good as we, in Paul’s words, go from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18) in a life journey that is truly eternal.

That Schlitz commercial got it wrong: we can go for the gusto precisely because this life is not all that we have. So rather than going through life defensively, desperately trying to make sure we get whatever we can for ourselves, we can relax: our ultimate well-being is assured. And so we are free to fulfill our purpose and grow in our experience of love. And we can take risks as we do that: we can let ourselves be vulnerable, loving people even though they may leave us or die. We can make sacrifices for others and find ways to give ourselves away. And we can do all of this knowing that sometimes we will fail, and that’s okay: we don’t need to hold back because we’re afraid. Jesus calls us to let go of fear so that we can live freely and lovingly: it is the only way we can find true happiness and fulfillment. And along the way we can enjoy the wonderful things of this world and relish them while we are here, whether that is for nineteen years or ninety years. And we can look forward to more wonderful things in the world to come. After all, it is in God that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), and God is love — always and forever.

Down into the deep. February 6, 2022. The Rev. Kathleen M. Sturges

 

Luke 5:1-11

It has been a long night for the disciple Simon Peter. He has done everything a good fisherman is supposed to do. And he has been doing it like this for practically all of his life. But on this day it’s different. The usual routine isn’t working. The net is empty. Simon doesn’t catch anything. Not one fish.

 Now although I have scant experience at fishing, I’ve done it once, maybe twice in my life - I can still identify with Simon’s experience and I bet you can too. You know, the times where we have tried to do everything right, given it our best, did all that we could, said our prayers, lived faithfully, worked hard. We did all of it and still it didn’t turn out as we hoped. Our nets come up empty and we are left to some degree entangled in disappointment, doubt, sadness, anger, fear, confusion.

 That’s basically the state that Simon and his fishing buddies are in as they wash their empty nets on the lake’s shore. They’ve cried uncle and given up when along comes Jesus asking Simon for a boat so that he might get the proper space to address the crowd. But after his public teaching is done for the day, Jesus turns to Simon and says, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Now initially, Simon resists because, come on, it's a ridiculous request. "Master,” Simon points out, “we have worked all night long but have caught nothing." Yet although skeptical, Simon ends up doing what Jesus asks. And low and behold when the nets go down into the deep the fish amazingly rush in. More fish than anyone could have imagined.

 Now on the surface, this may sound like a classic fish tale. But it goes much deeper than that. Because it’s really a story about life and transformation - both Simon’s and ours. Jesus calls Simon to a new life, a new way of being in the context of fishing because that’s what he knows best. Likewise, Jesus is always coming to us in our everyday lives, meeting us in the places and circumstances that we know best, and calling us to something new, to something more so that we might leave the shallows of life and put out into the deep.

 Because God knows how often we live in the shallows. How easy and tempting it is to live on the surface in our comfort zone where we can touch the bottom and have a general sense of control. But this level is full of mindless distractions, superficial relationships, and lack of self reflection. It’s a place where comparisons with others take up a lot of space and judgments about who’s in, who’s out, and who’s bad and who’s good seems to be of utmost importance. It’s hard to be authentic and true here for there’s not much meaning or fulfillment to be found. When we live in the shallows our nets often come up empty. Which is why Jesus beckons each and every one of us to, “Put out into the deep water.” To not be satisfied with living a surface life. To go deeper for it is there that we will find our catch.

 It’s interesting, I think, that when Jesus tells Simon to put down his net into the deep he doesn’t actually say what he would catch. Surely everyone assumed that Jesus was talking about catching ordinary fish, but was he really? I wonder because what did Simon do with that bounty of fish that swarmed into his net? Did he scoop them up, run to the market, and make a boat load of money? Was that the catch that ended up really mattering to him? It seems not. Because at the end of the day, Simon walks away from all of it. He, along with his companions, bring their boats to shore and leave everything, including the fish, to follow Jesus. For what Simon really caught that day is something even more compelling than the fulfillment of a fisherman’s dream. It is the experience of the overwhelming abundance of divine grace and love. What he ends up catching, ultimately, is life - the true, rich, deep life found in Christ.

 Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch. That may make sense if one is next to a body of water with net in hand and a boat available. But for us landlubbers, how exactly do we heed that call in our own lives? How do we move from living in the shallows to putting out into the deeper places of life? Well, one way is to identify a place in your life where it feels superficial. Where you feel stuck or stymied. Where is it that you have been putting in your best efforts and still your net comes up empty? When you find that place, pause and look for Jesus. Because he is there. God in Christ is present and with you in the disappointment, the doubt, the sadness, the anger, the fear, the confusion - in whatever has you tied up in knots. Notice God’s presence because that presence has the power to untangle and transform any situation. Because empty nets are not the final reality for us. Even though outward circumstances may or may not change, inwardly things can shift. No matter what is going on in our lives we can experience new life, a new way of being as we become more and more in touch with the overwhelming abundance of God’s grace and love that is always available to us just below the surface.

 For the deep is always a place of sacred transformation. When Jesus called Simon Peter to deep water fishing notice that he did not say, “Let down your nets and see if anything’s there.” No, he said, “Let down your nets for a catch.” For you see, as it was for Simon Peter it is for us. When we are willing to enter into the depths of life with God in Christ the catch is always guaranteed.