 I wonder how many times you have read or heard the story of David and Bathsheba? It’s a story I’ve definitely been familiar with for a long time, and the way I have heard or read it has most often been from David’s perspective. David sees someone beautiful, someone who catches his attention, a woman he asks about, wanting to know more about- someone he deeply desires and (in his mind) who he needs to be with. David sends for Bathsheba, she comes to be with him, and she goes back home. And then, there is trouble- this isn’t going to be just a one-time tryst, as she is now pregnant. And this isn’t something that is going to be easily hidden or explained, as her husband Uriah is away. David tries to get out of this trouble by bringing Bathsheba’s husband back to her, but he stays away from her, and shows his integrity. He doesn’t think it’s right for him to enjoy being with her while his men are out and still in danger. So, David has to take more drastic action and sends Uriah out to the front lines, setting him up to be killed. And when we pick up the reading in today’s passage from the Hebrew Bible, it all works out for David, his problem is solved, Bathsheba becomes his wife and bears him a son. Phew- right?! Well, except for that last part of Chapter 11, the very end of verse 27- “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord,” Whoops, David. So, God sends Nathan to help David understand, and how does he do that? By helping him see what he has done from the perspective of Uriah. So David comes to see that he has done something very wrong to Uriah and has sinned against God. We even see in Psalm 51 how very sorry David is and how he pleads with God to help him. I think it’s safe to say that we can all see, in looking at this story, that David did some awful, terrible, maybe some would say unforgivable, things. If we read it as presented from David’s perspective or even as Nathan presents it to David, recognizing Uriah’s perspective, it's awful, AND, unfortunately, when we look at it from Bathsheba’s perspective, it’s worse. Many of us were likely brought up with a patriarchal view of stories in the Bible. We are generally told the perspectives of the men in these stories and the women are referred to as property or possessions, when they’re included at all, except for a very select few. In fact, there exist interpretations which place the blame of seduction and adultery on Bathsheba. But, what if we look at this story through a different lens? Dr Wil Gafney, a prolific womanist theologian says, about Psalm 51, “It is ostensibly David’s psalm of repentance after his abduction, rape, and forced impregnation of Bathsheba, and his subsequent murder of her husband. Yet he does not mention her or his specific transgressions against her in it. To be fair, the biblical text constructs David’s sin as being against God and Uriah, her husband, but not against her.” So yes, the Bible lays it out for us with this patriarchal lens, but if we really look at what it says, David took Bathsheba because he could. He was the king. He saw someone he wanted, and without regard for who it would impact, he claimed her. He didn’t need a wife, he had at least 6, not to mention access to servants or prostitutes. He ended up taking everything from Uriah and he also took everything from Bathsheba. When David spotted Bathsheba and sent for her, she didn’t have the choice to say no. She was taken by and for David and then sent back home when he was done with her, where everything was now different- and that was just the beginning. David’s sin took the life of her husband (who honestly seemed like a pretty stand-up guy) and also the life of her yet unborn child. So what can we learn from this awful story? When Nathan comes to David and tells him the story about the beloved lamb of the poor man being taken by the rich man, it’s clear to David who is in the wrong. Whether David recognized the effect that his actions had on Bathsheba or only on her husband and God, he knows he is wrong and instead of denying it, he immediately recognizes it, owns it and also faces the consequences (as did the others involved). I wonder if it’s easy for us to write this off, finding comfort in feeling like what David did was far worse than anything we’ve ever done. But, what if instead, we looked at where we might have done something that resulted in others being wronged, and look at how we have owned up to our actions? Likely we’ve all had moments during which we may have been so driven by what we wanted that we ignored the impact on others- times when we might have told ourselves we needed something or deserved something because of a position of power or a certain role that we had, or because of something we had accomplished. But when we don’t consider our actions through lenses other than our own, we run the risk of harming others. Living where we live, in this time, in this city, in this country, we all carry privilege- it’s different for each of us, but it comes from our gender, our economic status, our appearance, our skin color, our upbringing, our life experience, our family background, the ableness of our bodies, our education, et cetera. If we’re not careful to consider the ramifications our actions- even our basic daily decisions about if and what to purchase, what we say, what we eat, what we wear, how we get around- hold consequences, some more present and immediate than others. And what about the sins of our nation, and the hundreds of years during which all humans weren’t valued the same? While our laws now don’t allow for this in an obvious way, this is still happening. And our ancestors’ lives still have great impact on our lives today- when the opportunities our ancestors had were vastly different from those of others, we aren’t starting on level ground. We continue to run into the consequences of our sins as a nation and it’s a scary thing. We are so divided, half of us think the other half is at fault, wrong and probably worse than that too. We can’t see eye to eye and we can’t understand each other. I believe there’s something in this story about what our role is going forward from here, like not being paralyzed by the fear of what is to come. David faces the consequences laid out before him and looks to God to help him work through it. Most of the time, we are likely not confronted with our behavior like David is here, but if we hold ourselves accountable, looking to God to help us find our role in changing things and recognize what gifts we have that we can contribute, we begin to move towards a better future for everyone. I see many of you in our church and in our community working diligently for what you believe in and encouraging each other to do the same! And also, looking to the future in the life of our country, it’s easy to feel hopeless, and I think for some of us it’s tempting to say something like what I read between David’s lines, “I won’t like this, but I’ll survive”. The thing is, even if we aren’t directly vulnerable, there are others who won’t survive- those whose lives will be made unsustainable. We all need to try to look at this from their perspective, through their lens. Who would those be? Those who are already facing challenges of poverty, those who rely on the systems currently in place to support themselves, those needing and unable to access reproductive healthcare, individuals seeking acknowledgment of unfair treatment that they still face today, LGBTQIA+ individuals who are outright persecuted for who they are. We can’t just sit back and let this happen. Now is the time to work to protect and look out for people around us who are or will be affected even more than we are. So what do we do? I think we need to ask ourselves, individually and as a community- whose perspective are we missing? Who has God placed in our lives, in our paths through whose lens we can see things differently? Whose voice is in danger of being silenced that we can listen for and amplify? What privilege do we have that we can use for the good of our siblings who might not have as much? How might the audience we have be affected by hearing other voices? How are we connected, how can we be more connected? In these next critical months, may we take seriously our place in God’s Beloved Community, and open our ears and eyes to the others here with us. May we look to God to help us keep our hearts and minds open and consider the perspectives of others in all that we do. And may God help us to see how we can use what we have and what we can access to help those who are in this Beloved Community with us. Amen.  By Julie Carew, Lay Preacher
Immanuel, God with us, thank you for this glimpse into your last days physically here on earth. Help us to seek you and see you here with us, today and everyday. Amen. As a musician and a huge fan of music in general, I’m always intrigued when a “secular” artist puts out a song about God or about faith. One of these songs came out just as I was beginning college and introduced me to a singer of whom I would be a longtime fan, and who I saw live again just last year. The song is called “One of Us” and the singer is Joan Osborne. The song was written by one of her bandmates and was the first single released from her debut album, Relish. This song hit at a time when I was really seeking God, trying to figure out what that meant, piecing together what I had learned as a kid at church and what I was experiencing myself, away at school. In “One of Us”, we are invited to imagine what it would be like to have God living among us as a human. One of the verses in the song is: “If God had a face what would it look like? And would you want to see If seeing meant that you would have to believe In things like heaven and in Jesus and the Saints And all the prophets??” I really think that’s an interesting question for what we read this morning in John. Imagine with me for a moment, the scene here. Jesus has fed the 5,000, healed the blind man, raised Lazarus, Mary has anointed him, and yes, even though it is not yet Palm Sunday for us, ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey. He is causing a scene, drawing all kinds of attention and the Pharisees are really getting concerned. Just before we pick up the story in verse 20, the Pharisees are saying to one another, “You see that you can do nothing; look, the world has gone after him.” And then some Greeks come up to Philip asking to see Jesus. The first time we met Philip was in John 1 and as a new disciple, he was invited by Jesus to “Follow” him and he then invited others to “Come and See”. It seems like this is bringing things around, full circle, for Philip as he now has the chance to lead these Greeks to Jesus. Philip is a Greek name- Bethsaida, his hometown was governed by Philip, son of Herod, and was also the hometown of Andrew and Peter and they are the only 3 disciples who do not have Semitic names. Perhaps this is why these Greeks approached Philip as the person who might help them on their quest to see Jesus. The Greek word used here is ὁράω, (hor-ah'-o) which means to see not just with the eyes, but with the mind, to behold. These Greeks are looking to fully experience Jesus. We don’t know who these Greeks are, but we can make some guesses as to why they come into John’s narrative at this point and what that means. It seems as though their request is significant to Jesus, that it is perhaps a message to him that his teachings have gone out beyond his known followers, and may be (at least a part of) why at this point he says, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”. We have seen him say the opposite- that the time had not yet come- several times before this point in his ministry. As Jesus shifts to talking about the time that has come and what that means, we know there are those (we hear of a few- Judas and Peter, for instance) who don’t want to see this part- either it doesn’t align with what they expected or hoped, or the timing is not right and they’re not ready. When we seek Jesus, whether that’s through Scripture or prayer or in guidance from others who know him, are we open to hearing what he might actually say? Do we approach Jesus with our own expectations of what the answer should be, or are we looking for and waiting on his answer? - Jesus does not address these Greeks directly, and we’re actually not clear from the narrative if they are there when he is speaking, but he continues in verse 24, ”Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” I haven’t ever grown wheat, but growing things (or at least trying to) is something I have enjoyed since I was a child, and I have fond memories of working in our little garden plot with my mom. Gardening is an adventure that is full of life and death, of making decisions based on what might be best and hoping that it really is. I have always worked towards wasting as little as possible and making sure that I use or give away as much as I can. Over the years, I think I have gotten pretty good at managing that between eating, sharing, preserving, dehydrating and freezing, but the one crop that always catches me by surprise is the green beans. I LOVE fresh green beans, (and so does our dog, Hazel), but it seems like I NEVER get them all, and there are days I simply don’t have time to go pick, so inevitably, there are plenty that I miss or that I can’t get to before they get too big and tough. A couple of years ago, I decided to stop worrying about getting them all at the perfect time and just dry the ones that had gotten too big and use them for planting the next year. These beans are such a beautiful color and so smooth and perfect-looking, and yet, they’re not intended to be made into jewelry or hung on a wall, they’re meant to be buried, to be put in the dirt and be transformed, not to be seen again in their current form. And when we do that with a bean, we are rewarded with SO MANY more beans. BUT, if I hadn’t let some of them go, or if I picked them and tried to serve them to my family to eat (or try to eat…) I wouldn’t have anywhere near as many to plant the next year. Jesus is about to complete his human circle of life, and yet, he knows there’s more to it than the disciples can immediately see. I see this as a reminder that sometimes we have to let go of what we desire or hope for immediately in order to experience abundance in the future. And that sometimes, many times, we have no idea what the future holds, or what we risk in letting go of what we have in the right now for just the hope of something better. And even harder than that, we often don’t have the choice, we lose things we thought we’d always have and we have to let them go, knowing we may never understand why or for what purpose. Jesus knows firsthand that death and destruction cannot be avoided, it’s part of being a human, but he also knows that new life will come from it. He is preparing his followers to lose him, twice- in death and in his ascension, but with the promise of a new life with him. Jesus continues on, “'Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” In imagining this scene, I really empathize with those around Jesus who aren’t getting any of this. One sentence after another that they/we could sit with for quite awhile and really consider, and now this one, and several others to follow. Why would they lose a life they love and keep forever a life they hate? They are trying to figure out what it means to serve and follow, and it must be overwhelming and confusing. In her commentary about this passage, Mary Hinkle Shore says Jesus is, “encouraging others to follow his lead in hating/rejecting this world’s definition of life as a small and isolated existence”. He knows they have left everything they know to follow him and all along, he’s flipping everything familiar upside down, trying to help them see that serving him and thus being honored by God is often very different than what the world would say is what they should be doing. Where do you feel this tension in your life? Where do you feel like the pull and priorities of the world are different from those we see and hear about from Jesus? - John made a point that this gospel is for ALL those who want to see Jesus. He tells the story of Jesus, as an eyewitness, in a way that gets right to the heart of Jesus’ ministry. At the conclusion of Jesus’ human life, in John 19:20 we read that the inscription on the cross was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek- the only Gospel to point this out. Here, in John 12, we see that the conclusion of Jesus’ time here in a human body is perhaps ushered in by the appearance of an “outside” people. And near the end of today’s reading, in verse 32, we read, “'And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” The Jesus portrayed by John here doesn’t question God, he is troubled, but he is seeking God’s Glory. As humans, he and we are well-acquainted with loss, sickness, sadness and death. He’s looking ahead to the ways he will be lifted up- on the cross, from death and back to God completing the circle of his human life and hoping that with these events it will become clearer to those who seek him, what difference it makes. He emphasizes that this is happening for ALL people, not just those who have seen him up close, those who knew him then, or even those who know him right now. What does this mean for us? We are likely very familiar with and can easily access the whole story. And maybe sometimes, it’s easy to take it as a given and not really see what Jesus is showing us here. As we look to next week, Palm Sunday, the triumphal entry that quickly goes so far away from what everyone was expecting and hoping for, and into Holy Week, I wonder what it would mean for us to “see” Jesus. Are we looking for him with anticipation, do we really want to see him and believe him? Are we letting these events seep into our busy lives, and taking the time to seek him? Do we really want to hear what he has to say to us? How might Jesus lead us to serve him, to follow him in ways that help others to see him too? Amen Sources: The history and archeology of Bethsaida Kristen Sibold University of Northern Iowa Strong’s Concordance at Biblehub.com Working preacher commentary, Karoline Lewis Working Preacher Commentary, Mary Hinkle Shore By Julie Carew, Lay Preacher  Creator and Sustainer, thank you for these illustrations of being your Beloved ones- of what it looks like to be blessed, chosen, cared for and called by You. Amen
The passages in today’s liturgy bring us some beautiful stories of being God’s people: In Isaiah we hear about what it can look like to be filled with the spirit of God, to belong to God. Here, God’s people bring good news, they help others, they seek and provide for the good of others. It doesn’t say there won’t be hardship and mourning, but that they will be brought out of it, comforted, transformed. In her Song in Luke, Mary is rejoicing in and celebrating what God has done and is doing for her. She is recounting God’s mercy, strength against evil, care for those who are in need, and faithfulness. In the Gospel reading, we hear from John the Baptizer, starting with what he is NOT- the Messiah, Elijah, a prophet. He says “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness…” and we read that “He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” The word that has been occupying space in my brain as I sit with these passages is WITNESS. I know I’ve had several occasions in my life where I was seeing something happen and I reminded myself to pause and take it all in, knowing I was witnessing a significant event. When we know we are witnesses, we pay attention and take it all in so that we can remember and share what we have observed and experienced, and that seems to be what is happening in all of these passages. Isaiah is recounting a history, giving credit where it is due. Mary is celebrating and proclaiming all that God has done and giving thanks. John is demonstrating and telling of what he has heard from God and how it has impacted his life, pointing others towards God. They are all WITNESSING to who God is and what God has done- remembering and treasuring it for themselves and sharing it with others. In 1 Thessalonians we read what Paul wrote to those to whom he had witnessed in Thessalonica. This letter is likely not only the first of Paul’s letters to be preserved for us, but the earliest surviving Christian writing, dating just 15-20 years after the crucifixion. Paul spent a few intense months living, working and spreading word about Jesus in Thessalonica, the leading city in Macedonia, before he and his traveling companions were forced out. This letter is written as a response to the news brought back from Timothy that the Thessalonians were standing firm in their faith and continued to hold Paul and his companions in high-esteem, and he seemingly writes it intending to build them up and celebrate them. Through this beautiful letter, we sense the deep love and affection Paul has for these people he taught, lived and worked among. Throughout 1st Thessalonians we see glimpses of how he shared life and the Gospel with them, what he saw as essential in the foundation of their faith and his hopes for them in the future. He praises them for their work and faithfulness, encouraging them to continue on as they have been. Paul also addresses their concerns about those they have lost, reassuring them that their loved ones will not be left behind by God. It’s clear in many of Paul’s teachings that he expected Jesus to return during his lifetime and preached with that urgency in mind. And in this letter, he reassures them that the promise of Jesus’ return still stands, if on a different timeline than he originally expected. He encourages them to continue on in love, peace, kindness, patience and goodwill, as they await Christ’s return. It’s in that context that we find today’s passage from 1 Thessalonians 5. Here we read Paul’s final words in this letter to this community that is cherished by him and has undergone many challenges and trials. I have to believe that, knowing what they have been through and that they may be losing hope, he purposely doesn’t leave them with more to do, or challenge them to do better or harder, but with reminders of what is essential on their journey. He begins with “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances”. “Rejoice” is translated from the Greek word, Chairo (khah'-ee-ro)- to rejoice, be glad, to rejoice exceedingly, to be well, thrive And “Always” from Pantote (pan'-tot-eh)- at all times, always, ever- in the King James Version, this word is translated as “evermore”. What does it look like to rejoice always? I would posit that this is not about being happy all the time. In fact, there are other places in the Bible where this same word, “Chairo” is translated as “be glad”, but not here. I see this more as a call to reflection, to taking time to process and find joy and then, perhaps, to share it. I think that, knowing full well the trials they are facing, he is encouraging them to find joy in all that they can. What does it look like to pray without ceasing? Paul uses this same word for “without ceasing” in Romans 1:9 in reference to specific people he is praying for. We see then that this can’t be a literal “constantly”, but rather seems to be explaining a posture, a practice of being always in communication with God about the things that are on our hearts and minds. Prayer is a conversation, an ongoing conversation with God. If we start our days remembering that we are of God, and reminding ourselves of who God is, it seems likely that we will be able to freely access that conversation throughout our day. When we notice something beautiful, we give credit to the creator and allow ourselves space to be awed. When we are challenged by something, we remember that we can ask for help. When we feel the loss of someone missing from our lives, we remember that we are not alone in that loss, and have a companion through it. What does it look like to give thanks in all circumstances? To take what we are rejoicing in and in communion with God and with others, to give credit where it is due, giving thanks to God. This strengthens our connection to God, and invites us into a posture of gratitude within it. Paul’s words here are simple and concise, but not tasks that can be taken lightly; he gives them three things they simply can’t do without acknowledging they are beloved creations of God and everyone else is too. In them, they must acknowledge where everything comes from, hear and accept guidance, cling to their Creator, their value and purpose, and be grateful for those who have entered into their realm. Paul then says, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I think this is maybe the most important phrase here. He is saying that these are not rules to follow, but that this is what God WILLS for God’s people, this is how God created them (and us) to be, in continuous communication with our Creator, noticing and appreciating the creation around us and the connection we have with all of it. Paul goes on to encourage the Thessalonians to celebrate and look for opportunities to be guided by the still small voice that is the Spirit living in them, whether in wrestling with the writings and teachings that are challenging to them or distinguishing good from evil. Paul then blesses the Thessalonians, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do this.” These are beautiful, encouraging words. Our goodness, our worthiness, our blamelessness comes from being a creation of God and our relationship with God as our Creator. So what does this mean about our witness as followers of Jesus? For Mary, witnessing meant trusting what seemed impossible and sharing what she knew of God, even when all the pieces didn’t quite make sense. For John the Baptist, it meant wearing camel's hair, eating locusts and wild honey, wandering in the desert, calling for folks to prepare themselves for relationship with God, and baptizing them. As interesting as that sounds, I think I’ll take to heart what Paul is saying here to his friends, the Thessalonians- that being people who draw their value and that of others from being part of God’s creation and investing in being part of God’s community, is their witness. I believe (and it sounds like Paul did too) that God created us to notice, to draw joy, to find hope and to be in continuous communion with God. We don’t have all the answers, but we know the source of those answers and can rest and trust in that. We can find joy when it seems impossible, and we seek more, better and truer relationship with God and with each other. Paul gave the Thessalonians a gift in this letter, a reminder that it’s in God’s presence and our practicing of that presence that we find what we need. Will we also accept that gift as we journey through Advent? Let us be this kind of witness- Rejoicing Always, Praying without Ceasing, and Giving Thanks in All Circumstances. (Or at least head in that direction…) As we daily face a world with so many things we will never make sense of, let us cling to our Creator and know that we are seen and known. And let us love well those around us and encourage them to do the same. Amen.
We see glimpses of that in the first 3 passages read, and then in Matthew 5, we see Jesus himself explain this for us. Leading up to this point in Matthew, Jesus has been baptized by John, declared “beloved Son” from the heavens, walked through the wilderness and been attended by angels. He has begun to call for repentance, collected his disciples, and has been doing miraculous things, healing many people. Needless to say, Jesus has drawn some attention at this point!
It seems that while there are crowds of people around, Jesus moves up onto a mountain (which around here we’d likely call a big hill) and his disciples gather around. From what I have learned about the area where they are, being on this “mountain”, means that Jesus and his disciples would have a great view of this and surrounding areas. Matthew places this story early in Jesus’s ministry and we can imagine that those listening are eager to hear what he says. This word that Jesus starts with- “Blessed”. What does it mean? Happy, fortunate? Made holy, consecrated? When I think about what makes me feel blessed, it’s being truly seen and loved, being surprised in a way that I didn’t expect but realize that I really desired, being known for all of who I am- the outward and the inward, the delightful and the difficult, the comforting and the challenging- experiencing a knowing which makes me feel understood on a deep level. So, let’s look at these folks who Jesus calls blessed and to whom he wants to bring the disciples’ attention: The Poor in Spirit. These are people who know that they are empty and have experienced that the world can not and does not fill them up. They know their place as broken humans, hurt by other broken humans, but in seeking God they discover that they are also a part of a beautiful family made by a loving Creator. What can help them get there? Perhaps, other broken, beautiful humans acting as reminders of their belovedness through their care and compassion, giving them a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven that is theirs. Those Who Mourn. These are people who allow themselves to feel, to be vulnerable and affected by what is happening around them and to them. Mourning is an act that takes time and space, they are in it. When they are open to this mourning, they also open themselves up to being seen, to being healed and comforted. Jesus doesn’t say who will do this comforting, and I have to think that’s on purpose. It leaves it open for all of us to be comforters, to sit with those who mourn, to preserve the space that they need and allow them ALL the time it takes, both in the immediate and the long-term mourning. The Meek. Meek people don’t over-value, and sometimes don’t even know, their own power. Those who are meek are not going to fill a need simply because “someone has to do it”, they allow space for others to come through and do what they are gifted to do. They are NOT powerless. But, they understand that any privilege or power they have is not because of what they have done, but rather a gift, and that they are not more deserving than anyone else. Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness. This word “Righteousness” can be tricky. It seems pretty clear, even with the limited amount that we have learned from Matthew up to this point in Jesus’ life, and given this context, that Jesus is not talking about individual righteousness, self-righteousness or piety. In looking at this word in the original Greek- dikaiosynē (de-kay-ah-soon-Aye) and in its context here and later in this chapter Dr Nicholas Woterstorff argues that the word that should be used here is justice, not righteousness. In this context, justice which is pursued on a corporate/community level, makes much more sense than personal uprightness. The pursuit of righteousness leads us to focus on ourselves and our own right- or upright-ness. And I can’t imagine that this is what Jesus is talking about Hungering and Thirsting for. Those who hunger and thirst for justice are not satisfied with the world as it is now. They see justice as an essential need for all, not something to take for ourselves and hope for for others. When you hunger and thirst, you DO something about it. Those who act out of this great, deep need for justice know that their work is ESSENTIAL and will be filled by it. The Merciful. Those who do not judge, but give mercy. The merciful consider, they acknowledge humanity and they don’t condemn. When people are seen as generous with mercy, when it flows out of them, it will come back to them, from God, from themselves and also from others. The Pure in Heart. These people are not seeking gain, they are content in their position as beautiful, created children of God and value others in the same way. In this, they see and know their Creator. The Peacemakers. Notice that Jesus says, peaceMAKERS, not peacekeepers. These folks are actively involved in making and creating peace- they work for it. They are not avoiding conflict or putting up a good front so that it looks like everything is fine. They are creating peace where it wasn’t before. They see their role in this human family, in God’s family, honoring their Creator and working together with their siblings and those of older and younger generations. Those who are Persecuted for Righteousness Sake. Here, again, there is a strong argument for using the word Justice instead of Righteousness. Do we know of people who are persecuted for being personally upright? Perhaps not, but there are countless people who are persecuted for doing what is right, for standing in a different place than everyone else, for asking the questions that no one wants to hear, for going against the trend. These folks are walking with God, hearing from God and are willing to take a stand for Justice, and they are those whom God includes in the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are YOU. I’m going to pause here, as I want to notice that Jesus is getting specific and personal here, drawing in his disciples and focusing on them specifically. Blessed are you, when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Ugh. My guess is this is not the kind of “Blessing” they were hoping for. But what is Jesus telling them? He is letting them know that he is with them and that they can trust him. They are not free from hardship, difficulty or persecution, and they will receive consequences that they likely don’t deserve, but they are now part of something different. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way, they persecuted the prophets before you. Once again, we are seeing that in Jesus’ work things are different. His disciples are not to seek protection from scrutiny, or to try to coast along. They are to listen, and be led and let themselves be compelled by what they are learning. They are to act on these things, to challenge the status quo and not be afraid to stand up for things/people/justice in ways that others don’t understand. It seems to me that Jesus is calling them to be prophets. What does that mean? To take time and space to see what is happening around them? To see and raise up that which the world looks down upon? I think for a while, this could be seen by many as a good thing, but I wonder- if they are truly prophets- would it also mean doing often the thing that others would look at as “just too far, too different, or too much”? We know that prophets are generally not welcomed by their community, they are known for saying the things that nobody really wants to hear…BUT, what about when we all live into this call and do it together? What if we lean into the “prophet-ness” of walking with and learning from this Jesus we follow? What if we resist pushing away that voice that says, “pay attention, pause here, notice this?” What if we reprioritize and make space in our agendas to be led, to be open, to be moved? What if, after seeing a need in our community we bravely bring forward that idea that we are sure no one will go for? If we are all tuning in and staying close to God, it seems pretty likely that we’re going to be hearing, seeing and noticing similar things and that we’re not going to be shocked when we hear someone else voice them too. All the folks that Jesus says are “Blessed”, that he says are “to be envied” have experienced and/or are acknowledging the limits of their human-ness and thus opening themselves up to the blessings of God. As we move through our days, let us consider how God might be asking us to look at things in a different way, to see something through a different lens, to move away from “us” and “them”. And in ALL that we do, let us consider, who is missing? Whose perspective don’t we have and how do we make sure they know they are welcome here? This isn’t about doing more, serving more, or reaching more, but about being present and invested, with God and each other, and allowing ourselves to be known/seen/affected by what’s happening around us and being compelled to speak up and do what we are called to do. When we stay close to and walk with God together, we know the blessing is in seeing through the eyes of God and one another, truly knowing each other, building a community together, holding space for each other, and seeking to respect and understand that which we don’t experience ourselves. I hunger and thirst for that, do you? Amen. References: Oxford Dictionary Merriam Webster Dictionary Logos Bible Working Preacher Podcasts Video: Righteousness or Justice, Nicholas Woterstorff- https://youtu.be/jdcIkbAMWKA |
