Do you want some good news? Jesus. Jesus is the good news. That’s my favorite preacher/dad joke, and I’m not sorry about it at all – because it’s not a joke, but it is funny that no one ever expects it.
Want some more good news? Here’s some good news from 2022 that you might have missed: An aquarium in Boston has saved over 150 sea turtles from the cold, including 120 endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtles; an aircraft engine prototype has been proven to run on hydrogen; Abu Dahbi has reduced the number of single-use plastic bags it uses by half a million per day; inventors and investors are now mining our oceans for trash and using its current to generate electricity; Scotland is approaching 100% reliance on renewable energy; Turkey has developed a solar farm supporting 15,000 farmers and their families with free electricity; the US has for the first time produced more energy through renewable sources than coal production; a married couple in Detroit has started reclaiming vacant lots as urban bee farms to help restore pollinators and pollination gardens, educate the public, turn blight into beauty, and make money from the honey; for the first time in 20 years, no rhinos have been poached in India’s largest reserve; cheetahs have also returned to northern India for the first time in 70 years, and arctic foxes have successfully bread in Finland for the first time in 25 years!
None of this would be happening without the work of dedicated people, governmental resources, non-profit activists, and venture capitalists all working together, and I found all of it by following Sam Bently on social media, in case you want to know where to get more good news!
You may be wondering what this has to do with our scripture readings today, but I would ask you what part of any it does not. What I mean by that is not to say that all these do-gooders are followers of Jesus, but rather that the end result of the work I described looks a lot like the end result of the stuff Jesus talked about in the beatitudes and perhaps even the foolishness described by Paul and the true worship described by Micah.
You’re welcome to disagree with that, but as I watched the reporting of these facts about efforts to restore creation, I had my own little epiphany. I realized that, even though I’ve long understood our role as stewards and caretakers of God’s good creation, I had never considered how these passages apply to the whole of creation!
Suddenly it dawned on me that, while I would never call a shark meek, it makes sense that we might find ways to protect endangered populations as we have with the 2019 ban on the shark fin trade. The same goes with bans on overfishing and other commercial industries that impact the ecosystem we share like the current movement to incorporate migration patterns in urban planning.
I’m not saying that Jesus had any of this in mind when he stood upon the hill and preached a word of comfort to the oppressed, but I am saying that he was describing a worldview that put people above profit and could be expanded to include the creation itself when we recognize our connectedness to the earth and all that is in it. For the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, right (Psalm 24:1)?
I don’t think Jesus needed to say that to his original audience. Their worldview already assumed that the earth is under the purview of God, and they were its stewards. They were inherently connected to the land – more aware of the impact of rain and drought – and while they did not live in what some have called a managed ecology, they knew the impact of their actions through selective breeding and caretaking. Regardless of that, Jesus was describing a worldview that was in contrast to the Empire of Rome, and he called it The Kingdom of Heaven.
As he began his ministry he said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” Now he was beginning to describe what the Kingdom of Heaven looked like. As we continue through Matthew’s Gospel, we’re going to see that the “Sermon on the Mount” – which begins with the Beatitudes – sets the tone for everything that follows, and these “Beatitudes” are fundamental descriptors of what that kingdom looks like.
He started with the “poor in spirit.” Luke’s Gospel just says “the poor,” but Matthew has added, “in spirit”. Some have said that this is because Mathew is addressing the poverty of the spirit of those with wealth who lack compassion. That may be so, but a recent interpretation I’ve heard is that there are those who are so broken by the condition of poverty that they cannot imagine another reality (sociologists call this generational poverty). I see no reason that both interpretations can’t be true, in fact, I would argue that each of those conditions expects that the other must be true at the same time. Poverty without release can only exist when those with controlling interests in resources lack compassion.
These are the kinds of statements that make those of us with comfortable lives (who feel that we have worked hard to get what we got) feel very uncomfortable, but I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind. Some scholars suggest that the mountain that was the most likely spot for this sermon clearly overlooked the construction of Tiberias – a city dedicated to the prowess of Rome – and that Jesus was talking to people like you and me to assure them that the empire did not have all the answers.
Those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those persecuted for righteousness – all will be rewarded. Unfortunately, the most immediate reward is rejection, but the ultimate reward is salvation!
Tough words – these are tough words to think about when we think about the state of the world and our place in it. They don’t have to be, though. They can very well be encouraging words when we think about those that are doing so many good things in the world. The beautiful thing about all of this is that Jesus is not telling us that we are bad or aren’t doing enough.
He’s giving us a litmus test for living into the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven. Do we see the poor in spirit as the ones holding the key to the Kingdom of Heaven? Are we comforting those who mourn, whether they call out the name of their beloved in the streets or simply seek the promises and rituals of faith? Are we longing for the right relationships in the world the way we long for our next meal? Are we doing what we can to create conditions that are favorable for peace?
Maybe we aren’t doing all of this perfectly, but yes – that’s what we do. We do it in casual relationships and chance encounters and through community action! We do all of these things because we are not here to produce a product. We are not here to manufacture a feeling. We are here because we believe there is something more to being human than buying and selling and creating value.
We are here because we believe there is an inherent value in each and every person who is beloved by God and because we don’t believe there is a person who is not beloved by God! Faith in God’s never failing love constantly reverses the identity politics of the day because we believe in a God who did the unthinkable – that which a God does not do – by becoming as one of us and suffering with us! The folly of the cross that Paul was talking about is that God became as one of us and suffered with us so that we might know that God is with us in our suffering today, constantly moving us from brokenness to wholeness.
God took the symbol of the cross, which Rome used in an attempt to express control over the souls of the Israelites (cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree – Deuteronomy 21:23), and turned it into a symbol of life and hope and expectation! It is foolish to follow a crucified God unless you know that the crucifixion is the way God revealed God’s power over the empire while extending an invitation into the Kingdom of Heaven.
How do we know if we’re on the right path? Is there a certain number of sea turtles we must save or a certain tonnage of trash we must remove from the ocean? Will renewable energy be our salvation? Are there certain books we must read? Do we need more than 10,000 followers on social media?
“God has told you, O Mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?”
Last Sunday I said that one of the ways to know that we are living into the Kingdom of Heaven is when “we” and “they” become “just us.” Today I feel compelled to say that, along with my witty pun about “justice,” we are reminded that our work for unity must be done with love and compassion, lest we become – as Paul warned in 1 Corinthians 13 – “a noisy gong.”
Likewise, we must not get ahead of ourselves or think of ourselves as overly important to the struggle for greater unity. If we are not struggling, then we must listen with compassion to those that are, become available as partners where we can, and trust in God’s grace throughout.
In other words, we can’t end hunger on campus, but we can bring pasta to the campus cupboard. We can be a part of greater solutions as we trust in the mercy of God together.
If we are to seek justice, fall in love with kindness and become humbled before God, then we must remember that all we do is in response to the love we have received. All that we are is in recognition of the reality that even our worst shortcomings are still places that create space for grace and mercy to enter in. As Leonard Cohen once sang, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
So it is with the Kingdom of Heaven that is constantly at work overthrowing the empires and fiefdoms we create and replacing them with communities of reconciliation and peace shining light through the cracks of brokenness all around.
At least I pray it might be so with you, and with me, and to God be the glory – now and always. Amen!
Want some more good news? Here’s some good news from 2022 that you might have missed: An aquarium in Boston has saved over 150 sea turtles from the cold, including 120 endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtles; an aircraft engine prototype has been proven to run on hydrogen; Abu Dahbi has reduced the number of single-use plastic bags it uses by half a million per day; inventors and investors are now mining our oceans for trash and using its current to generate electricity; Scotland is approaching 100% reliance on renewable energy; Turkey has developed a solar farm supporting 15,000 farmers and their families with free electricity; the US has for the first time produced more energy through renewable sources than coal production; a married couple in Detroit has started reclaiming vacant lots as urban bee farms to help restore pollinators and pollination gardens, educate the public, turn blight into beauty, and make money from the honey; for the first time in 20 years, no rhinos have been poached in India’s largest reserve; cheetahs have also returned to northern India for the first time in 70 years, and arctic foxes have successfully bread in Finland for the first time in 25 years!
None of this would be happening without the work of dedicated people, governmental resources, non-profit activists, and venture capitalists all working together, and I found all of it by following Sam Bently on social media, in case you want to know where to get more good news!
You may be wondering what this has to do with our scripture readings today, but I would ask you what part of any it does not. What I mean by that is not to say that all these do-gooders are followers of Jesus, but rather that the end result of the work I described looks a lot like the end result of the stuff Jesus talked about in the beatitudes and perhaps even the foolishness described by Paul and the true worship described by Micah.
You’re welcome to disagree with that, but as I watched the reporting of these facts about efforts to restore creation, I had my own little epiphany. I realized that, even though I’ve long understood our role as stewards and caretakers of God’s good creation, I had never considered how these passages apply to the whole of creation!
Suddenly it dawned on me that, while I would never call a shark meek, it makes sense that we might find ways to protect endangered populations as we have with the 2019 ban on the shark fin trade. The same goes with bans on overfishing and other commercial industries that impact the ecosystem we share like the current movement to incorporate migration patterns in urban planning.
I’m not saying that Jesus had any of this in mind when he stood upon the hill and preached a word of comfort to the oppressed, but I am saying that he was describing a worldview that put people above profit and could be expanded to include the creation itself when we recognize our connectedness to the earth and all that is in it. For the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, right (Psalm 24:1)?
I don’t think Jesus needed to say that to his original audience. Their worldview already assumed that the earth is under the purview of God, and they were its stewards. They were inherently connected to the land – more aware of the impact of rain and drought – and while they did not live in what some have called a managed ecology, they knew the impact of their actions through selective breeding and caretaking. Regardless of that, Jesus was describing a worldview that was in contrast to the Empire of Rome, and he called it The Kingdom of Heaven.
As he began his ministry he said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” Now he was beginning to describe what the Kingdom of Heaven looked like. As we continue through Matthew’s Gospel, we’re going to see that the “Sermon on the Mount” – which begins with the Beatitudes – sets the tone for everything that follows, and these “Beatitudes” are fundamental descriptors of what that kingdom looks like.
He started with the “poor in spirit.” Luke’s Gospel just says “the poor,” but Matthew has added, “in spirit”. Some have said that this is because Mathew is addressing the poverty of the spirit of those with wealth who lack compassion. That may be so, but a recent interpretation I’ve heard is that there are those who are so broken by the condition of poverty that they cannot imagine another reality (sociologists call this generational poverty). I see no reason that both interpretations can’t be true, in fact, I would argue that each of those conditions expects that the other must be true at the same time. Poverty without release can only exist when those with controlling interests in resources lack compassion.
These are the kinds of statements that make those of us with comfortable lives (who feel that we have worked hard to get what we got) feel very uncomfortable, but I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind. Some scholars suggest that the mountain that was the most likely spot for this sermon clearly overlooked the construction of Tiberias – a city dedicated to the prowess of Rome – and that Jesus was talking to people like you and me to assure them that the empire did not have all the answers.
Those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those persecuted for righteousness – all will be rewarded. Unfortunately, the most immediate reward is rejection, but the ultimate reward is salvation!
Tough words – these are tough words to think about when we think about the state of the world and our place in it. They don’t have to be, though. They can very well be encouraging words when we think about those that are doing so many good things in the world. The beautiful thing about all of this is that Jesus is not telling us that we are bad or aren’t doing enough.
He’s giving us a litmus test for living into the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven. Do we see the poor in spirit as the ones holding the key to the Kingdom of Heaven? Are we comforting those who mourn, whether they call out the name of their beloved in the streets or simply seek the promises and rituals of faith? Are we longing for the right relationships in the world the way we long for our next meal? Are we doing what we can to create conditions that are favorable for peace?
Maybe we aren’t doing all of this perfectly, but yes – that’s what we do. We do it in casual relationships and chance encounters and through community action! We do all of these things because we are not here to produce a product. We are not here to manufacture a feeling. We are here because we believe there is something more to being human than buying and selling and creating value.
We are here because we believe there is an inherent value in each and every person who is beloved by God and because we don’t believe there is a person who is not beloved by God! Faith in God’s never failing love constantly reverses the identity politics of the day because we believe in a God who did the unthinkable – that which a God does not do – by becoming as one of us and suffering with us! The folly of the cross that Paul was talking about is that God became as one of us and suffered with us so that we might know that God is with us in our suffering today, constantly moving us from brokenness to wholeness.
God took the symbol of the cross, which Rome used in an attempt to express control over the souls of the Israelites (cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree – Deuteronomy 21:23), and turned it into a symbol of life and hope and expectation! It is foolish to follow a crucified God unless you know that the crucifixion is the way God revealed God’s power over the empire while extending an invitation into the Kingdom of Heaven.
How do we know if we’re on the right path? Is there a certain number of sea turtles we must save or a certain tonnage of trash we must remove from the ocean? Will renewable energy be our salvation? Are there certain books we must read? Do we need more than 10,000 followers on social media?
“God has told you, O Mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?”
Last Sunday I said that one of the ways to know that we are living into the Kingdom of Heaven is when “we” and “they” become “just us.” Today I feel compelled to say that, along with my witty pun about “justice,” we are reminded that our work for unity must be done with love and compassion, lest we become – as Paul warned in 1 Corinthians 13 – “a noisy gong.”
Likewise, we must not get ahead of ourselves or think of ourselves as overly important to the struggle for greater unity. If we are not struggling, then we must listen with compassion to those that are, become available as partners where we can, and trust in God’s grace throughout.
In other words, we can’t end hunger on campus, but we can bring pasta to the campus cupboard. We can be a part of greater solutions as we trust in the mercy of God together.
If we are to seek justice, fall in love with kindness and become humbled before God, then we must remember that all we do is in response to the love we have received. All that we are is in recognition of the reality that even our worst shortcomings are still places that create space for grace and mercy to enter in. As Leonard Cohen once sang, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
So it is with the Kingdom of Heaven that is constantly at work overthrowing the empires and fiefdoms we create and replacing them with communities of reconciliation and peace shining light through the cracks of brokenness all around.
At least I pray it might be so with you, and with me, and to God be the glory – now and always. Amen!
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