A PEOPLE OF SALT AND LIGHT LENTEN SERMON SERIES – SESSION 3 – March 18, 2012
Thus far in our focus on the Sermon on the Mount, we have heard Jesus say we are blessed by God’s presence during our times of depression, mourning, uncertainty, seeking, compassion, doing good, getting along and living as we should. God is present with us during such times – and that is a blessing. And with the blessing comes responsibility on our part –to be the salt and the light to the world that we already are – a gift from God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Today, in our third lesson, we hear what Jesus says about the necessity of our being a community living in ‘right relationships.’
In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus provides his interpretation of several key commandments in the Jewish Law (found in the Torah – first five books of the Old Testament) There is a sharp contrast between his interpretation (the way of radical love) and widely accepted understandings of first century Judaism. Radical love:
1) avoids the expression of anger and name calling that destroys relationships
2) avoids the willful lusting that turns another human being into a sexual object
3) recognizes that divorce itself ruptures a God-established relationship
4) invites simple honest speech a necessary ingredient for trustworthy relationships
5) encourages us to return good for evil in all relationships
6) invites us to engage enemies by undertaking positive actions toward them
Describe the vision of reality that Jesus is communicating with these statements.
I’m hearing an altogether different reality for us being expressed by Jesus than that of the world. It’s a reality in which we are not to be angry with others for something they have done or not done, or say bad things about one another, a reality that to be reconciled with God, we must first reconcile ourselves with one another. It’s a reality in which we are to not to desire or long for someone or something other than what God provides. Resist it at all cost! It’s a reality in which divorce is not to be taken lightly. It’s a reality in which we always speak the truth, eliminating any doubt or need to swear by ‘this or that’ – where our yes is yes and our no is no. It’s a reality in which we aren’t always trying to ‘get even’ but instead are working to get along – even if it means giving in at times. And it’s a reality in which we love and pray for those who hate and would harm us. Jesus said, “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The life Jesus is calling us to is one of perfection – perfect in God, not perfect as God. This is his vision for our ‘right relationship’ with one another that leads to a ‘right relationship’ with God.
In doing so, Jesus provides six examples of right relationships. These examples offer a guide for disciples to live in a manner compatible with Jesus’ vision of reality. They are worthy of our attention and reflection. Yet they are difficult. So, -
Which of the six examples of radical love do you find the most challenging? Why? Which would be most challenging for this congregation? Why?
Even if we are able to live as Jesus suggests most of the time, some may be more challenging than others. For me over the years, a most difficult thing has been not to get angry. Sometimes people upset me and I find myself saying and doing things that are not helpful. I don’t throw things, but I do brood and think ‘evil thoughts’ even though I seldom say them. I’ve gotten better about controlling my anger but I’ve not quite reached my destination in “going on to perfection” as John Wesley would say.
Most important, what Jesus’ teaches in Matthew 5:21-48 invites us to consider how we should act in the real situations of daily life –as individuals and as a church. The six things to focus on are key to our wellbeing and witness to outsiders.
As a church, we should practice radical love. We should avoid being angry at one another or doing anything that might destroy a close, caring relationship. We shouldn’t want to be something we’re not and instead seek to discover what God intends for us. We should see the need to be one body and to work together. We should be honest with ourselves. We should ‘turn the other cheek.” And we should show kindness toward those we perceive as enemies. I suppose we should also do those things as individuals, don’t you?
Jesus has also instructed in Matthew 22:34-40 that we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ How a community responds to Jesus’ radical call to love reveals whether or not its members truly understand the character and purpose of Jesus’ teaching and ministry.
How does Matthew 22:34-40 influence your understanding of Jesus’ view of right relationships?
What would it take for us to do that? It would take all those things Jesus mentioned. It would take desire and focus on our part. And I think it might take strength and a power beyond anything we have. To be in right relationship with God and one another, as a community, requires God. And it requires a desire on our part for such a relationship.
Jesus’ vision of community included radical love – loving God and our neighbor as our self. It involves our getting along with one another, our remaining united, our being who we are, our keeping our promises, our being honest, and our giving the best in us.
How might our congregation more fully manifest the vision of community?
I think, as a church, we have lived out this vision of community to a large degree, yet like all churches everywhere, we still have a ways to go to fulfill the vision God has for us. Our love for God should be ‘seen’ – it should be obvious to those in our community that this is why we exist. What we do as a community of faith should be for others rather than for ourselves, and in doing so, it is done for God.
From the very beginning, the church has been a community. The gospel message could not have spread and gone viral, as it did, had it not been a community striving to fulfill Jesus’ vision for it. As followers of Christ, our strength also is in community, in connected-ness, and in relationship.
What insights have you gained about the church as a community living in right relationships?
A community living in right relationship is one living a ‘perfect’ life – a life in Christ. It’s not easy, but that is exactly what Jesus calls us to. One of the insights we may have gained about the church is that all of us matter. We all make a difference, but only if we are, in fact, the church together – a church of radical love, based on the great commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, and spirit – and to love our neighbor as our self. And to be that church we must get along with one another, stay united, be ourselves, keep our promises, be honest, and return only good for the bad.
May we do so, by God’s grace.
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