Freedom

 

Text: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:1

Focus: Freedom in Christ

Function: to help people be free from the constraints of the judgment that comes with religion

¹²Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, ¹³not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. ¹⁴But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. ¹⁵Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; ¹⁶but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

4:¹Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.

Today we are looking at what it means for us to be free in Christ.

In Christ, we are free from judgment, from the law and its curses, from the constraints of religion and we are now made alive together with Christ Jesus in His Spirit forever.

Verse 17b has been significant to me from the beginning of my ministry. It reads thus: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

I actually find it king of strange for me because that quote from this verse has been on my personal/pastoral business card since I first had cards printed in 1988.

I prayed about it and settled on that verse. There are a lot of verses for a pastor to choose on his or her business card. John 3:16 comes to mind. It might appear to be a more evangelical, or outreach centered verse.

But I knew for the most part, that when I dropped off my card, it would be at the house of a believer and I hoped that they would read that verse and wonder why I would choose that as the verse that represented my ministry.

Especially since when I was called into the ministry, the Lord spoke Luke 4:18, into my mind, which reads like this:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,

It is Jesus reading the verse that is His life’s calling. God has called Him, away from religion, to bring the good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free.

Jesus makes it clear that His mission is to bring justice to an unjust society.

And that first line really sunk in to me, He has sent me to bring good news to the poor.

The poor and the marginalized have always been a passion of mine and as you noticed last week as I shared my own spiritual journey against racism and called you to experience your own in a new and loving way, the social justice mission that Jesus died for has been my passion as well.

So, why would I choose this verse as the first line of contact with believers and unbelievers alike?

I hoped when unbelievers read the verse they too would wonder what I meant by freedom when I am speaking in the context of religion?

Jesus has called us into a loving relationship with Him that transforms our hearts by the power of His Spirit inside of us.

And sadly, in order to try to make that happen, we might have invented constraints in religion that have nothing to do with loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus pointed out that kind of hypocrisy all the time with the religions leaders.

I hope that people will find freedom to love, freedom to forgive and freedom to serve Christ in their new lives living with the Holy Spirit inside of them.

I found it important to emphasize because in my experience, many people are outside of the church because they have been harmed by religion.

I was excited about seeing the movie The Passion of the Christ in an early release for the preachers in town. I was telling a fellow Christian, who was a waitress at the restaurant I are breakfast at every morning as part of my outreach to the community.

Another waitress, Kat, was her name, over heard our conversation about religion and like a wounded puppy, she slowly approached me to see of I was safe to talk to.

Kat was short of Katherine, but she meant it like a bobcat because she was ferocious. She was hard cut and you could tell she was the product of a very hard life. Premature wrinkles on a young face gave it away and a vacant look of disassociation emanated from her eyes.

She said, my Grandpa was a preacher. And then she walked away. Then she she said, My uncle was a preacher. So I responded to her that she had an interesting family and I asked her what it was like growing up with preachers in the family.

She told me she was 16 and pregnant all of a sudden and the church kicked her out for being a bad influence.

She started to cry.

I looked her in the eye and said to her: “on behalf of the church of Jesus Christ, as a representative of the Lord, I sincerely apologize for that behavior and ask for your forgiveness.”

She was shocked.

I reminded her that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

That was the beginning of a friendship that eventually lead to me performing her marriage where she called upon the name of the Lord.

Did you get that part in the passage about the veil and the old covenant and the lack of understanding of those who rely on religion instead of faith in Christ to save them?

You have to be pretty familiar with the OT to get it.

It is always odd the coincidence of these verse with my morning devotions. But I am currently going through Exodus and it recounts that Moses when he went in to the tent to visit God, and God came down in a pillar of fire to show the Israelites that God was there, came out of the tent with his face shining with the Shekaina glory of God.

So, as it faded, he veiled his face so the people wouldn’t know the glory was fading.

I don’t understand why the subterfuge, but maybe it exposes the dark underbelly of religion versus faith in Christ.

I think Jesus was speaking of this when we read the prophecy about Him bringing the blind out of their darkness.

Paul also speaks of spiritual blindness when people rely on mere ritual instead of living faith.

But, I don’t know how to tell the difference.

That verse is a mystery. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

I find freedom to love and to forgive knowing that God, the judge of the earth, will judge the evil in this world with the same love and care that He has for me.

I rest in God and know that the punishment for sins of the entire world was was completed when Christ gave His life for us on the cross.

I found the freed to welcome Kat back into the family of God so that she could begin anew her journey with Christ.

The Spirit of the Lord sets of free to follow Christ no matter who we are.

A Just Peace

 

Text: Luke 6:27-38

Focus: non resistance

Function: to help people see how gentleness and meekness can win the day.

²⁷“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. ³⁰Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³²“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

I titled this message, “A Just Peace.”

You hear me pray every week that we will become the peacemakers that Jesus said He has called us to be.

When I think of peace, I think of rest in my soul. But it is a result of a lack of conflict. And, since conflict seems inevitable, reconciliation between two sides is the path to peace.

And the concept of reconciliation is what is needed for peace to happen when we look at global affairs between different nations and when we look at affairs of the heart between different people.

How do we be reconciled to each other?

Did you know that we are ambassadors of reconciliation?

Look at this scripture. 2 Corinthians 5: ¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We looked at part of the beatitudes last week, but we didn’t get the one from Matthew, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. (5:9)

I believe that we become reconciled to each other when we become reconciled to God.

We know that this is by faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We place our trust in Him to save us and He indeed becomes our Savior.

Besides peace and reconciliation, There is another similarity between these two passages.

Forgive and you will be forgiven is the promise that Jesus gives. Paul said, Jesus quit counting our trespasses against us, after all, we pray for that every week, and the idea being for us to quit counting the trespasses and sins against us and forgive those who offend and harm us.

Forgiveness is hard, it takes a sacrifice. But forgiveness sets us free and is the path to the peace that Jesus has called us to.

Forgiveness is hard. It takes faith in the one who promises to judge the earth in complete fairness. But remember, Jesus made it clear that if we expect to be forgiven, then we must forgive.

Forgiveness like that is what sets Christianity apart for me. It isn’t easy, but when I find myself actively forgiving, that is when I sense the presence of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I have always taught that if one wants to have an answer to a desperately needed prayer, then one needs to stand in complete forgiveness of others.

And when we think about what Jesus starts the passage out with, turning the other cheek and giving the shirt off the back to the one who sued us for our coat, we see the need inside of us for the power of forgiveness.

How does one turn the other cheek in the face of evil?

Well, there is something to consider about the Jewish culture back at this time. A famous Bible Scholar, Walter Wink, studied this and gives us this description of what is actually happening when we turn the other cheek and give up the shirt as well as the coat.

Frankly, they didn’t have toilet paper and it was the custom of all people to use the left hand to finish after using the toilet leaving the right hand free and sanitary for greetings.

So, if a person slapped you with his or her right hand, that was dignified, but to use the left hand, which is what happens when one turns the other cheek, it forces them to switch hands and humiliate themselves because they are admitting that they are in the wrong as the oppressor by taking away your humanity.

It is the same thing with the coat. To force a person to become naked, which is what happens when they take away the undershirt as well, takes away their humanity and humiliates the the person who took the coat as the oppressor. The law says to give the coat back at night because it is the only way for the owner to keep warm.

Jesus is telling us to stand up to the oppressor without fighting back. But this certainly not a passive approach. It demands justice by displaying the unjust nature of the person who is oppressing you.

The principle is what was used by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in the Civil Rights marches of the 60’s when America overturned segregation.

My mother and father did their first ministry in Tennessee, a poor town where my dad set up a store front church.

My mother was appalled at the disproportionate nature of the facilities labeled “colored” vs “white.” She saw the evil of segregation and we have to remember that this it is not even one generation ago. It was the beginning of her journey out of racism. She didn’t get far, but she is still growing at 90 years old.

Dr. King obey the Lord and demonstrated a peaceful protest that was anything but meek. They were beaten, jailed, maced, water hosed and even murdered trying to win their freedom. And still today, if you talk to a black organizer of the civil rights movement, you will see that they have a lot of love and forgiveness for the oppressor. They realize that the oppressor is just part of a system that was used to keep them down and make the few wealthy.

I am not getting political here when I talk of racism. When I was 14, God spoke to my heart about the evil of racism and I too have been on a journey against it. I have had to learn and I have to continually examine myself to see where hidden biases are exposed.

I believe in Colin Kapernick’s taking the knee in protest. It was silent, and non violent. It was much different than the riots after George Floyd’s death or the insurrection at the capital by the other side.

Perhaps if he had been listened to, George Floyd would still be alive and the violence that proceeded would have been avoided.

He is doing what Jesus commanded. He wants peace, but not at the price of having to continue to suffer at the hands of the one who has been conditioned to be afraid of him simply because of the color of his skin.

Society conditioned me to be afraid of black people.

To many white folks, peace would be for "them" to be quiet and accept the fact that one of "them" got elected President. But that isn’t good enough for me. We want a just peace that reflects the love and respect due every single human person.

For me, it became more than a calling to eschew racism in my own understanding, but to become like Jesus and speak out against racism. To become an anti-racist and to help people see, in a loving way, that we all, black and white, have hidden biases that need to be dealt with if we are to love one another as Jesus commanded us to do.

I don’t hate those who don’t offer that kind of justice because I realize that I too, was raised with biases.

I was raised to believe that black people were terrible neighbors because they didn’t take care of their property and would steal all your belongings.

I was raised to believe that. I was preaching once, and I mentioned how Brother Kyerematen, from the Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia was a black man who did a great job of the morning bible study at National Youth Conference.

Someone asked me why it was important to mention that he was black? Was I surprised?

I was pleased that we had diversity in our leadership at NYC, but I realized that I was describing him as black because I didn’t expect that caliber of study from a black man.

My prejudice was exposed to me. And I know know that I have to check my reactions to people of different races all the time because I was raised with prejudice and I have to actively work to overcome them. Just as my mom is still doing before me.

Remember, Jesus told us that our message is going to be uncomfortable to those who are in power. But Jesus has commanded us to keep up His works and words throughout the ages.

I hope I have been faithful to His calling in my life this morning.

What is Blessed?

 

Text: Luke 6:17-26

Focus: Upside down kingdom

Function: to help us honor the poor

¹⁷He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

²⁰Then he looked up at his disciples and said:“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
    for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.

²²“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. ²³Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

²⁴“But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have received your consolation.
²⁵“Woe to you who are full now,
    for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
    for you will mourn and weep.

²⁶“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

I have to confess that I have been excited all week to write and preach this sermon. I have been pondering it for several days and wondering about the meaning that we place on the word “Blessed” and where our hope lies.

And, several of my colleagues and friends have been posting different thoughts on the passage and what it means in our Sunday sermons all week. So, the excitement about the message has been growing for me.

One of the things that I noticed in my research, study, prayer and preparation for the sermon is that this passage of scripture is profoundly political in its nature.

Politics and religion are sensitive subjects and they become divisive issues when they are mixed. Look at what happened in Jerusalem with the coming of Jesus Christ. Those who had the political power had Jesus executed so that they could silence the mob that was following Him.

The judicial murder of Jesus by the political authorities demonstrates just how divisive it becomes when religion confronts the political status quo.

I should change that to modern times and say that the teachings of Jesus Christ should inform the way the members of the Kingdom of God should embrace their political beliefs.

These are the Beatitudes that are recorded in Luke. There are differences in the list between Matthew and Luke. Instead of calling it the beatitudes in the NRSV version, the authors chose to title the passage: “Blessings and Woes.”

The list is shorter and the blessings are contrasted by woes.

Look at the first one: Blessed are the poor for theirs is the Kingdom of God. Then down to verse 24, But wore to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

We are conditioned by the political and advertising powers to look down on the poor as failures. How often have we heard the line that this is the land of plenty and anyone who is in poverty is either to lazy or to stupid to succeed and therefore they are responsible for their own plight and we do not have to care for them.

But Jesus said, blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Woe to the rich, for there is no reward for them in heaven. I believe the teachings of Jesus and His statement that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. So, there is no reward, if they even make it at all, according to Jesus.

And yet, the religion of Christian Nationalism teaches that if we are rich, then somehow we are blessed by God.

But Jesus says, Woe to the rich!

How backwards do we have it?

My Church in PA ministered to a desperately poor retired baptist preacher. He had a heart attack with no insurance and they simply fired him, leaving him with no income and no means of support.

Our deacons fund helped the family out on several occasions. His poverty was not a result of laziness or stupidity, it was bad luck.

Most personal bankruptcies filed in the US happen because of overwhelming medical debt, not carelessness.

Remember, Jesus said, blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I love Dolly Parton. I am sure that she affords a luxurious lifestyle with all the millions that she has made. But, she has given away much more than she has kept. Because she values the importance of generosity.

And yet we stipulate the American dream is that anybody can become a Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon who has become the worlds richest man by far in just a few short years. And we call him blessed. And Jesus said, Woe to him.

American Civil Christianity is not the faith that Jesus taught in these blessings and woes.

The religion of Christian Nationalism has taken over American Evangelicalism.

I have a dear brother who had to be called out on his Christian behavior on Facebook during the height of the Previous administration. It was a childish meme mocking the opponents of the President.

And I pointed out to him that all of a sudden, I see Christians who I love and respect stooping to insults, mean rhetoric, and racist comments as if it is okay to talk like that.

Paul said for us to appeal to older men and women as fathers and mother and younger men and women as brothers and sisters.

But no, all of a sudden Christians relished the mean spirited, unchristlike talk as someone who vents their anger. And he gave them an excuse to lower themselves to that level.

We lost decency and respect for one another in that time. I pray that the Church can repent of its sin and rise above it.

I have another dear relative, strong Christian, who keeps posting on Facebook memes that attack the refugees who are fleeing death and misery for a chance to survive. Every time she does, I remind her and the people who support her meme that Jesus would never call them Illegal. That is a dehumanizing term. Jesus term for them is neighbor and if we call ourselves Christians, we need to think of them first as neighbor.

I have been surprised and hurt by the vile with which some of her friends attack me for posting what Jesus said.

But Jesus said that we will not be well spoken of if we point out the lack of love that political and societal forces permit. They murdered Jesus for it. They murdered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for it, and that list goes on and on.

Blessed are those who speak out, especially the ones who suffer persecution for it.

Woe, He says to the popular false prophets who permit people to continue in their sins.

Woe to those who enable racism, uncivil discourse among colleagues. They may be praised by their followers, but they certainly are not followers of Christ.

So, it is a political passage. If your politics enables you to hate the poor and marginalized, then according to Jesus, you are following a false prophet.

Let us be pure, as Paul said to Timothy in our love.