I want to begin with a confession. I know we already did that – and God heard me during the silent, personal prayer – but I need you to know that I did something yesterday that I have not done in a while. I overslept.
I was supposed to be at a board meeting for The Extra Mile, which is an organization that helps families in crisis with everything from foster care to addiction issues. In fact, one of their programs, Avec Les Enfants meets in our education wing every Sunday afternoon to provide a safe and secure place for children to visit with non-custodial parents in a safe manner.
Yesterday’s meeting was set up by our very own Ruling Elder, Brian Wyble, who is the President of that Board, and the purpose of the meeting was to empower the board for the work we do together. While I have no excuse apart from an ailing back from replacing a mailbox post on Friday, suffice it to say that I received a rude awakening when I saw the text message asking me if I would be in attendance.
The message was not rude. The reality of wakefulness and my error were, shall we say, an assault to my senses. To his credit, Brian was gracious as always, as were the other members of the Board.
I do not share this to gloat or to make an example of my error. I say this because I am betting that each of you has had an experience or two where you have been awakened to unexpected circumstances, whether by your own error or by some life event that was beyond your control.
Whether they are good or bad or even unrelated to your life but still impact your understanding of the world, life is full of events that catch us off guard. Most of the time we do our best to keep such things from happening. We set alarms. We lock doors. We associate with those who seem to share our worldview.
Even so, there are times when God breaks in. Granted, there are plenty of times we would love for God to break in – assuming God wants what we want – but often it seems like things are up to us. I do wonder; no – I hope; I believe; I expect that God breaks in through you and through me all the time.
Still, it would be nice if God broke in like in our reading today, right? Well…nice for us. It was pretty terrible for the Egyptians. I have to admit, going after the firstborn of the Egyptians AND their livestock seems pretty cold. In the words of the comedian, Taylor Tomlinson, “The Old Testament is like my favorite Taylor Swift album – just banger after banger of break-up songs!”
Here we have God’s instructions for the biggest breakup the Israelites have ever known – with blood on the door and firstborn on the floor – but notice this: It begins with invitation, moves to celebration, and ends in sanctification. God’s people are told to waste nothing, come together if there is anyone in need, and get ready to go – and as they went they became a statement to the world of the active presence of the one true God of Israel!
These people, and the people of Egypt, have awakened to a new reality – a reality that is beyond slavery in Egypt and dependent on the grace of God. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul the Apostle describes those who follow the way of Jesus the same way. We have been set free from the slavery of sin by the grace and mercy of God!
Paul uses the word grace more times in the letter to the church in Rome than any other. Maybe they really needed to hear that salvation is not something we earn. It is God’s choice to love us regardless of our choices. That’s not to say that our choices don’t matter. It is to say that our choices don’t determine God’s – which is where grace (unmerited favor) comes in.
Paul talks a lot about slavery to sin and release by grace through the first several chapters. It’s good stuff! I recommend reading it. That all leads up to chapter 8 where he wants us to know that we have been adopted through faith into the family and household of God. That raises the question about the firstborn of God’s family – the children of Israel – and Paul spends the next couple of chapters talking about their inclusion and the new life we share in Christ in chapters 9-12.
All that leads up to chapter 13 the summary of the law and some instructions for how to love others as much as you love yourself. Incidentally, one of the most interesting critiques I’ve heard of the modern evangelical movement (and to some extent, old-school Calvinism) is that a worldview that says that we are not worthy of God’s love results in a worldview that no one is worthy of God’s love.
Nowhere in here does Paul describe our unworthiness. He describes what it is like to be enslaved by sin in chapter seven, but his point here is to love others in the same way that Christ has loved us – compassionately, faithfully, and gracefully. For some, the very idea that we are loved regardless of what we do or do not deserve is a rude awakening, but to this Paul says, “Wake up, it’s time for salvation!”
It’s important to note here that Paul’s expectation was that the return of Jesus would be imminent, or in the words of the incomparable Tom Waits, “Jesus gunna be here, be here soon.” There is nothing in Paul’s writings that indicates, to my knowledge, that the return of Jesus meant conflict. Instead, it meant that conflict would end, particularly for those who followed the way of Jesus.
For example, when he used illustrations like the “armor of God” in Ephesians 6, he was saying, “instead of a breastplate, use righteousness – be in right relationships with God and one another.” Likewise, in Romans 13:12, “The armor of light” meant living as one who has been redeemed. “Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” in v13 meant changing your motivation from an androcentric (person-centered) worldview to a God-centered worldview.
That doesn’t mean looking down on others and relativizing sin and suffering. It means recognizing that God is active and present in all things and then living in the light of God’s presence always! A “God-centered worldview” is so much more than “What would Jesus do?” It’s more like asking, “What is God doing? What is God inviting me into? What does salvation and redemption look like for me and for those God has given me to love or to endure?”
Answering that question may be exciting to you! It might also be like the alarm that I turned off yesterday morning. We all have our limits. I get that. I really do. Fortunately, God’s grace does not, though I have to say that our reading from Matthew’s Gospel, taken on its own, does not feel very grace-filled.
Of course, that’s why our tradition does not take scripture out of context or view it as individual, literal truths. We view scripture as authoritative and sufficient, but we interpret it through the lens of grace and through the context of the setting. Here’s what I mean by that.
Chapter 17 ends with a discussion about taxes and children, just as chapter 18 begins with Jesus telling everyone to become as children in order to enter the Kingdom of God. He follows that with the temptation to sin – which includes leading little ones astray – and delivers the parable of the lost sheep; where the shepherd leaves the 99 for the sake of the one.
All of that is a setup for these instructions on regaining one who has strayed – which seems a bit more like an intervention than a celebration. Then in 18:18, there is a call back to 16:19 where Jesus warns them that what they bind or loosen on earth will be so in heaven. We talked about that passage a few weeks ago, and the fact that Jesus said that in front of the shrine to Pan and the “gate to the underworld.”
The emphasis in the text here seems to be that our agreement, as followers of Jesus, is what God wants. How I wish that meant that all we have to do is agree on a need and ask God together, but I suspect that’s not exactly what Jesus had in mind. I suspect it has more to do with aligning our wills with God’s than aligning God’s with ours, and I think Jesus drives this home in v21 when Peter asks, O so sheepishly, “So…how many times do we need to forgive someone who has been baaad? Is seven times enough.” (Sorry. I couldn’t resist.) Jesus responds, “Peter, you may be the G.O.A.T., but try seventy times 7.” Essentially this was to say that there is no end to God’s forgiveness, so let there be none for ours.
Having said that, it’s still pretty hard to see grace in v17, “if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.” The only way I can make sense of it is to remember the role of choice. In this case, as difficult as it is to realize, the offending member is the one rejecting the church.
God’s goal is still inclusion, but it is not coercion. God’s choice is always love, and as much as it pains me to say it, the church may not always be the best vessel of God’s love. That does not mean we should not try. It just means we need to be honest about our limitations even as we are hopeful in God’s limitless love because we are still sanctified for the work of proclamation!
As jarring a wake-up call as the project of inclusion can be, it is only the beginning! Just as the Israelites were celebrated and sanctified, so are we! Through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, we are set free from sin and commissioned by God to love as we have been loved!
In fact, I want you to look at the vision and mission statements on the front of your bulletin and read them with me as a confirmation of God’s commissioning of this congregation.
Vision Statement (how we see ourselves – our basic identity): We are a community of believers grounded in the Reformed Tradition of Christian faith and growing through the experience of God’s love.
Mission Statement (how we hope to enact our identity): We are grounded in the practice of loving God…with all of our hearts as we build and maintain relationships and a public witness of welcome and concern; with all of our souls as we express gratitude through our generosity of spirit; with all of our minds as we experience God’s activity in the world. As we grow, we seek to love God and neighbor and self equally with all that we have and all that we are.
These are good words, and we spent a lot of time deciding how to say these things. Hopefully, you see the summary of the law in there, as well as a nod to our Reformed heritage (which I’d be glad to talk more about some other time). If you go to our website, you’ll also see some core values that unpack all this a little further.
Here’s the thing, though. The Session does not care if you memorize these words or these core values. They only wrote these as an attempt to describe who we are and what we do as God’s people.
In that workshop that I mentioned, the one I almost missed from oversleeping, we talked about how much more important it is to tell others about one thing you value about the organization than to tell them everything there is to say.
The same goes for this place, but I would add one more. Who we are will be determined by how we live in the light of the Kingdom of God. How do we live in this light? We put on the mantle of faith. We look first to the command of Jesus and the summary of the law and then to our neighbor as the first and best opportunity to love as we have been loved.
Beloved of God, we have been named, claimed, and sanctified for one purpose: to love as we have been loved. It starts with knowing that you are loveable and beloved, and it finds fullness when you help someone else know that about themselves – even when they oversleep.
It’s just that simple, and it’s just that hard, and to God be the glory for that – now and always. Amen!
I was supposed to be at a board meeting for The Extra Mile, which is an organization that helps families in crisis with everything from foster care to addiction issues. In fact, one of their programs, Avec Les Enfants meets in our education wing every Sunday afternoon to provide a safe and secure place for children to visit with non-custodial parents in a safe manner.
Yesterday’s meeting was set up by our very own Ruling Elder, Brian Wyble, who is the President of that Board, and the purpose of the meeting was to empower the board for the work we do together. While I have no excuse apart from an ailing back from replacing a mailbox post on Friday, suffice it to say that I received a rude awakening when I saw the text message asking me if I would be in attendance.
The message was not rude. The reality of wakefulness and my error were, shall we say, an assault to my senses. To his credit, Brian was gracious as always, as were the other members of the Board.
I do not share this to gloat or to make an example of my error. I say this because I am betting that each of you has had an experience or two where you have been awakened to unexpected circumstances, whether by your own error or by some life event that was beyond your control.
Whether they are good or bad or even unrelated to your life but still impact your understanding of the world, life is full of events that catch us off guard. Most of the time we do our best to keep such things from happening. We set alarms. We lock doors. We associate with those who seem to share our worldview.
Even so, there are times when God breaks in. Granted, there are plenty of times we would love for God to break in – assuming God wants what we want – but often it seems like things are up to us. I do wonder; no – I hope; I believe; I expect that God breaks in through you and through me all the time.
Still, it would be nice if God broke in like in our reading today, right? Well…nice for us. It was pretty terrible for the Egyptians. I have to admit, going after the firstborn of the Egyptians AND their livestock seems pretty cold. In the words of the comedian, Taylor Tomlinson, “The Old Testament is like my favorite Taylor Swift album – just banger after banger of break-up songs!”
Here we have God’s instructions for the biggest breakup the Israelites have ever known – with blood on the door and firstborn on the floor – but notice this: It begins with invitation, moves to celebration, and ends in sanctification. God’s people are told to waste nothing, come together if there is anyone in need, and get ready to go – and as they went they became a statement to the world of the active presence of the one true God of Israel!
These people, and the people of Egypt, have awakened to a new reality – a reality that is beyond slavery in Egypt and dependent on the grace of God. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul the Apostle describes those who follow the way of Jesus the same way. We have been set free from the slavery of sin by the grace and mercy of God!
Paul uses the word grace more times in the letter to the church in Rome than any other. Maybe they really needed to hear that salvation is not something we earn. It is God’s choice to love us regardless of our choices. That’s not to say that our choices don’t matter. It is to say that our choices don’t determine God’s – which is where grace (unmerited favor) comes in.
Paul talks a lot about slavery to sin and release by grace through the first several chapters. It’s good stuff! I recommend reading it. That all leads up to chapter 8 where he wants us to know that we have been adopted through faith into the family and household of God. That raises the question about the firstborn of God’s family – the children of Israel – and Paul spends the next couple of chapters talking about their inclusion and the new life we share in Christ in chapters 9-12.
All that leads up to chapter 13 the summary of the law and some instructions for how to love others as much as you love yourself. Incidentally, one of the most interesting critiques I’ve heard of the modern evangelical movement (and to some extent, old-school Calvinism) is that a worldview that says that we are not worthy of God’s love results in a worldview that no one is worthy of God’s love.
Nowhere in here does Paul describe our unworthiness. He describes what it is like to be enslaved by sin in chapter seven, but his point here is to love others in the same way that Christ has loved us – compassionately, faithfully, and gracefully. For some, the very idea that we are loved regardless of what we do or do not deserve is a rude awakening, but to this Paul says, “Wake up, it’s time for salvation!”
It’s important to note here that Paul’s expectation was that the return of Jesus would be imminent, or in the words of the incomparable Tom Waits, “Jesus gunna be here, be here soon.” There is nothing in Paul’s writings that indicates, to my knowledge, that the return of Jesus meant conflict. Instead, it meant that conflict would end, particularly for those who followed the way of Jesus.
For example, when he used illustrations like the “armor of God” in Ephesians 6, he was saying, “instead of a breastplate, use righteousness – be in right relationships with God and one another.” Likewise, in Romans 13:12, “The armor of light” meant living as one who has been redeemed. “Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” in v13 meant changing your motivation from an androcentric (person-centered) worldview to a God-centered worldview.
That doesn’t mean looking down on others and relativizing sin and suffering. It means recognizing that God is active and present in all things and then living in the light of God’s presence always! A “God-centered worldview” is so much more than “What would Jesus do?” It’s more like asking, “What is God doing? What is God inviting me into? What does salvation and redemption look like for me and for those God has given me to love or to endure?”
Answering that question may be exciting to you! It might also be like the alarm that I turned off yesterday morning. We all have our limits. I get that. I really do. Fortunately, God’s grace does not, though I have to say that our reading from Matthew’s Gospel, taken on its own, does not feel very grace-filled.
Of course, that’s why our tradition does not take scripture out of context or view it as individual, literal truths. We view scripture as authoritative and sufficient, but we interpret it through the lens of grace and through the context of the setting. Here’s what I mean by that.
Chapter 17 ends with a discussion about taxes and children, just as chapter 18 begins with Jesus telling everyone to become as children in order to enter the Kingdom of God. He follows that with the temptation to sin – which includes leading little ones astray – and delivers the parable of the lost sheep; where the shepherd leaves the 99 for the sake of the one.
All of that is a setup for these instructions on regaining one who has strayed – which seems a bit more like an intervention than a celebration. Then in 18:18, there is a call back to 16:19 where Jesus warns them that what they bind or loosen on earth will be so in heaven. We talked about that passage a few weeks ago, and the fact that Jesus said that in front of the shrine to Pan and the “gate to the underworld.”
The emphasis in the text here seems to be that our agreement, as followers of Jesus, is what God wants. How I wish that meant that all we have to do is agree on a need and ask God together, but I suspect that’s not exactly what Jesus had in mind. I suspect it has more to do with aligning our wills with God’s than aligning God’s with ours, and I think Jesus drives this home in v21 when Peter asks, O so sheepishly, “So…how many times do we need to forgive someone who has been baaad? Is seven times enough.” (Sorry. I couldn’t resist.) Jesus responds, “Peter, you may be the G.O.A.T., but try seventy times 7.” Essentially this was to say that there is no end to God’s forgiveness, so let there be none for ours.
Having said that, it’s still pretty hard to see grace in v17, “if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.” The only way I can make sense of it is to remember the role of choice. In this case, as difficult as it is to realize, the offending member is the one rejecting the church.
God’s goal is still inclusion, but it is not coercion. God’s choice is always love, and as much as it pains me to say it, the church may not always be the best vessel of God’s love. That does not mean we should not try. It just means we need to be honest about our limitations even as we are hopeful in God’s limitless love because we are still sanctified for the work of proclamation!
As jarring a wake-up call as the project of inclusion can be, it is only the beginning! Just as the Israelites were celebrated and sanctified, so are we! Through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, we are set free from sin and commissioned by God to love as we have been loved!
In fact, I want you to look at the vision and mission statements on the front of your bulletin and read them with me as a confirmation of God’s commissioning of this congregation.
Vision Statement (how we see ourselves – our basic identity): We are a community of believers grounded in the Reformed Tradition of Christian faith and growing through the experience of God’s love.
Mission Statement (how we hope to enact our identity): We are grounded in the practice of loving God…with all of our hearts as we build and maintain relationships and a public witness of welcome and concern; with all of our souls as we express gratitude through our generosity of spirit; with all of our minds as we experience God’s activity in the world. As we grow, we seek to love God and neighbor and self equally with all that we have and all that we are.
These are good words, and we spent a lot of time deciding how to say these things. Hopefully, you see the summary of the law in there, as well as a nod to our Reformed heritage (which I’d be glad to talk more about some other time). If you go to our website, you’ll also see some core values that unpack all this a little further.
Here’s the thing, though. The Session does not care if you memorize these words or these core values. They only wrote these as an attempt to describe who we are and what we do as God’s people.
In that workshop that I mentioned, the one I almost missed from oversleeping, we talked about how much more important it is to tell others about one thing you value about the organization than to tell them everything there is to say.
The same goes for this place, but I would add one more. Who we are will be determined by how we live in the light of the Kingdom of God. How do we live in this light? We put on the mantle of faith. We look first to the command of Jesus and the summary of the law and then to our neighbor as the first and best opportunity to love as we have been loved.
Beloved of God, we have been named, claimed, and sanctified for one purpose: to love as we have been loved. It starts with knowing that you are loveable and beloved, and it finds fullness when you help someone else know that about themselves – even when they oversleep.
It’s just that simple, and it’s just that hard, and to God be the glory for that – now and always. Amen!
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