A congregation of the United Church of Canada
Yr A ~ Pentecost 2 ~ Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
We’re going to start with the ‘tweet-length’ summary of the sermon. Here it is:
“Jesus doesn’t just teach and preach – he embodies his teaching and preaching. He doesn’t just talk about love and justice – he embodies love and justice. And he calls us to join him.”
That’s it. We can have our pot luck lunch now! No? You want more? Ok!
If you caught last week’s sermon you’ll remember I made a big deal out of reframing the words “Go and make disciples” into “As you go, disciple people.” As you go. In the midst of your going. You’re going anyway, so as you’re doing it, do this. What? Disciple people. Help them notice. Nurture them. Draw them to God. Love them. Say why.
This week we see that Jesus didn’t just say these things – he lived them. He embodied them.
If I may offer a modern paraphrase of today’s scripture passage…
As Jesus was making his way and living his life, he saw one of ‘those people’ and invited them to join him in embodying a way of love, kindness, acceptance, mutuality, justice, compassion, and reverence for the sacredness of all things, and all people. That sounded great, so the person let go of their former way, and embraced and embodied Jesus’ Way.
Later, Jesus had dinner with his friends and a whole bunch of ‘those people’ – you know, the one’s ‘upstanding people’ avoid or ignore. But here they all were, striving to do better, striving to embody loving-kindness.
Some hard-core religious types caught wind of this gathering and came and demanded to know why a supposed holy guy was associating with ‘those people’? Jesus overheard, and said, “Only people who know they need Something More are open to Something More.”
And then he added, “Compassion and love trump religiosity every time.”
While that truth-bomb was sinking in, a religious leader barged in, right in front of the other religious types, and pleaded for Jesus to come and be present with his gravely ill/just deceased daughter, believing in his heart that Jesus’ presence would help.
Immediately, Jesus and his friends were on the move again. Con moto!
Along the way, a woman, whose affliction had excluded her from being accepted in their society, approached Jesus, believing that just touching the tassel of his prayer shawl would be enough to make her whole. Jesus felt her touch, paused, and looking her in the eye acknowledged her as whole, and healed, and accepted. It doesn’t say so, but he probably said something like, “No one’s rules can change that we are all God’s beloved.”
Arriving at the young girl’s home those who thought there was no hope were ushered out, laughing at Jesus who said she was only sleeping. Then Jesus merely took the girl’s hand, and she arose. Needless to say, the whole scene caused quite a stir as news spread.
Four vignettes of embodied loving-kindness. Four people/groups whose lives were forever transformed because encountering Jesus opened them to the sacred presence of God all around them, and helped them notice Something More, and drew them into experiencing God’s love for themselves.
First were ‘those people’. The bible calls them ‘tax collectors and sinners’. Tax collectors were notorious for being corrupt in the practice of their job, and sinners, well, they’re the ones whose falling-short was apparently blatant enough for all to see (and judge). As an aside, theologically speaking every single person is a ‘sinner’ on some level. We all fall short of God’s ideal of love and justice in some ways. Most of us are just better at hiding it.
That’s an important distinction, because Jesus talks about how only those who know they need help are open to receive it. If you think you never fall short, then it would never occur to you to look for a deeper, better, more loving way. It’s not that Jesus excludes the Pharisees in any way – it’s just that the Pharisees wouldn’t open themselves to the possibility that they were just like ‘those people’ that they judge so hard.
‘Those people’, the so-called undesirables, the excluded, the shamed, the under-achievers, have likely been poorly treated by the world. If you find yourself among the ‘upstanding people’ you likely have the resources, and the status, and the acceptance, and the wherewithal to tackle most of life’s challenges on your own. It may never occur to a ‘healthy’ person that they need a ‘doctor’.
But ‘those people’, or simply those who are called ‘others’, are likely far more open to a renewed way, because the ways of the world are probably not treating them well. Into this Jesus comes along and instead of just preaching or teaching about God’s love, he goes further and utterly embodies it. In the process, he loses favour with the ‘upstanding’ types. So be it.
Jesus’ invitation isn’t just words – in fact he often doesn’t even use words – he just loves. His whole life was about embodying and exemplifying a way of love, kindness, acceptance, mutuality, justice, compassion, and reverence for the sacredness of all things, and all people. He shows ‘those people’ (and everyone else) that they are absolutely God’s beloved, and “those with ears to hear and eyes to see” respond by opening themselves and receiving that love.
The Pharisees are God’s beloved too! Don’t ever think they’re not! But they perceive a different path to connecting with God – a path of rules and rituals. Notice that Jesus doesn’t tell the Pharisees that their path is wrong – he just shows them that their path is not necessarily for everyone – that God’s love knows no barriers, especially ones put up by humans – and embodying and exemplifying God’s love to ‘all people’ is what Jesus’ way is all about. Religious rituals and participation are not the only way. It’s not that rituals are wrong, or that church is misguided – it’s just that they’re not ‘required’, not the only path. Rituals are great, if they work for you, but embodied compassion and love – loving God, loving People, loving One Another, love, love, love – are higher callings.
The religious leader with the daughter recently deceased (or gravely ill – whatever it takes to open you to the deeper point – don’t get bogged down) – that leader is embodying the church’s struggle in real time. He would have been well-schooled in the rituals and rules of the Pharisees – and there, right in front of them, he found the courage to explore a different path, and sought out Jesus’ embodied loving-kindness. That put Jesus in motion yet again – con moto, with motion, always in motion – responding to a call to love.
On the way, another vignette. Any number of medical reasons could explain a woman with an ongoing issue of blood for years. Unfortunately, their society had ritual purity laws that would deem her ‘unclean’, and therefore she would have been set apart and excluded from the fullness of participation in the community. Jesus embodied compassion and love over ritual and rule, and she knew it. She reached out to him, and he simply acknowledged her full humanity, not limiting her to her ailment. His basic acknowledgement of her belovedness is just as powerful as any miraculous cure.
Four vignettes about people who have been ‘othered’ and excluded because of how they are in the world, and how Jesus transforms their lives simply by embodying and exemplifying a way of love, kindness, acceptance, mutuality, justice, compassion, and reverence for the sacredness of all things, and all people. In every case the inference is that they will indeed ‘follow Jesus’ – and by that I mean that they too will strive to embody and exemplify his way, God’s way, love’s way.
The question is obvious: do we?
We are Christians. We are church-folk. We are disciples of Jesus. We call ourselves followers of his Way. Are we? How? In what ways do we embody and exemplify Jesus’ way of love, kindness, acceptance, mutuality, justice, compassion, and reverence for the sacredness of all things, and all people?
Oh, let me count the ways! Probably too many to mention! But let me mention a few, knowing that as I do I will be leaving many out. I mean, I don’t want to make it hard for you to pass through doorways or anything, but y’all are a wonderful embodiment of God’s love! Honest! You rock!
From Mission & Service contributions, to our fresh-water Well Drilling campaign every December, to our fabulous local Church Work in Durham (CWID) supports, to things like our Pastoral Visiting team, and our gang of property and building maintenance folk, to our tech team, and our catering group, and our United Church Women and all they do, to our Council, and our committees, and, and, and…
Then there’s our worship ministries, and choir, and of course the children’s and youth ministries like Joyful Noise, and Tots on Tuesdays, and Family Fun night, and all the people that we recognized earlier who lead much of that work.
And today, on Celebration Sunday, while we celebrate all those remarkably rich expressions of God’s love we also take time to celebrate our being an Affirming congregation. This is our 5th anniversary of being Affirming! That’s so great! Disappointingly, there are still only around 10% of United Church congregations and organizations that are officially Affirming.
So, while “providing a spiritual home that is openly welcoming, nurturing and safe whatever a person’s ability/disability, age, ethnicity, exceptionality, gender identity, sexual orientation, or social or economic circumstance” seems to be a completely obvious thing for us to do, considering that we’re striving to embody and exemplify Jesus’ way of love, kindness, acceptance, mutuality, justice, compassion, and reverence for the sacredness of all things, and all people – amazingly we’re a minority in this regard.
So, hurray for us! We absolutely should celebrate our ministries, and let our hearts be glad that God’s love is so warmly embodied and exemplified through this place called Faith.
[breath] And we should offer prayers of challenge and conviction for a United Church that calls itself Christian but doesn’t deeply and broadly enough love like Jesus loved. I’ve said it many times, and I’m saying it again – if we want to renew and revitalize the Church the surest way to do it is to be more Jesus-y – embodying and exemplifying his way of love! I’m not saying that Faith United is perfect. Surely we’re not. But there is so much here to celebrate.
I started this sermon with a tweet-length summary of it. Here it is again:
“Jesus doesn’t just teach and preach – he embodies his teaching and preaching. He doesn’t just talk about love and justice – he embodies love and justice. And he calls us to join him.”
Yesterday was the 98th anniversary of our denomination, the United Church of Canada. Recently, our national body adopted a ‘call statement’ that will hopefully guide us into embodying and exemplifying Jesus’ way more fully in the years to come. It goes like this.
We are called to: Deep Spirituality – Bold Discipleship – Daring Justice.
Yes, we are. And today we celebrate where love flows so freely here, and we pray for that love to grow ever deeper.
I’m going to say it one last time today, but hopefully it is becoming imprinted in our hearts, and minds, and spirits.
On this day of celebration and reflection, let us once again commit ourselves to join Jesus in embodying and exemplifying God’s way of love, kindness, acceptance, mutuality, justice, compassion, and reverence for the sacredness of all things, and all people.
That is a Faith worth celebrating!
Amen.
