Year A
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 119:1-8
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the words of my mouth\u2026 O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moses has been dealing with his mortality\u2026 he knows he’s about to die\u2026 the Israelites are at the Jordan river about to enter the promised land\u2026 and Moses is looking back on the highs and lows they’ve experienced\u2026 he wants to tell his people one more time how to live\u2026 he wants them to choose life\u2026 but what does it mean to choose life\u2026 isn’t that what we all do\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Moses\u2026 it means loving God with all our heart\u2026 mind\u2026 strength\u2026 and soul\u2026 but Moses also says that the good life includes things like canceling the debts of the poor\u2026 urging the government to guard against excessive wealth\u2026 limiting those who can be drafted\u2026 offering hospitality to runaway slaves\u2026 paying employees fairly\u2026 leaving part of the harvest for those who need it\u2026 and we continue to deal even today with things like these which were written seven hundred years before Jesus was born\u2026 here’s what Deuteronomy 15:5 says about protecting human dignity by limiting punishment\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It says take the land that the LORD your God gives you as a possession\u2026 and establish within it three cities\u2026 so that if someone kills another person unintentionally\u2026 two people who had not been enemies before\u2026 that he may flee to one of those cities and live\u2026 suppose\u2026 the text says\u2026 suppose two go into the forest to cut wood\u2026 and when one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree\u2026 the head slips from the handle and strikes the other person\u2026 and he dies\u2026 what we might call accidental homicide\u2026 and since the two had not been enemies before\u2026 since there was nothing estranged in their relationship… then that man may flee to one of these sanctuary cities and live\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today’s Gospel is again\u2026 a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount\u2026 like Moses\u2026 Jesus is expounding on the Ten Commandments\u2026 and what he teaches has everything to do with relationship\u2026 ] it’s bad enough to commit murder because of unresolved hostility\u2026 but Jesus is saying that even anger can kill\u2026 it kills relationships\u2026 it kills opportunity\u2026 it keeps us from loving our neighbor as ourselves\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus says that if we’re angry with someone\u2026 then we too will be subject to judgement\u2026 that there’s a relationship between judgement and anger\u2026 and anger can arise when our experience of something is at odds with our expectation of it\u2026 like how some people would feel if their favorite Super Bowl team loses\u2026 the one with one of the Kelce brothers on it\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus says that if we’re at the altar offering our gift\u2026 and we remember that someone has something against us\u2026 to go and be reconciled\u2026 not if we realize that we’re angry with someone else\u2026 but if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you\u2026 go and be reconciled\u2026 that tells me that God cares more about reconciliation than about receiving our gifts\u2026 and that it’s all about relationship\u2026 ] but don’t most of us\u2026 I do for one\u2026 sometimes wish that liturgy was a substitute for dealing directly with those we have wronged\u2026 I mean\u2026 bringing a gift to the altar\u2026 seeking atonement with God\u2026 is easier than seeking out the one you have wronged\u2026 or who has wronged us\u2026 that’s why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which addressed apartheid in South Africa was so painful yet powerful\u2026 because people spoke their truth\u2026 even when their voices shook…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus said\u2026 a man who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart<\/em>\u2026 this one is harder to understand\u2026 someone may say\u2026 I didn’t do<\/u> anything<\/em>\u2026 but that negates powerful and subtle motivations\u2026 the husband of the woman may notice that look \u2026 and may become suspicious that something is going on\u2026 may start treating her badly\u2026 may beat her\u2026 as though it had really happened\u2026 and their relationship is damaged because of a look\u2026 even today\u2026 in some parts of the world\u2026 young women are killed because they speak the truth\u2026 even if their voice shakes\u2026 they refuse to marry a man they don’t love\u2026 or they try to escape from an abusive relationship\u2026 and their relatives believe they have brought shame on the family\u2026 it’s all about relationship\u2026 so the more that men really want to protect the dignity of women\u2026 the more they ought to avoid looking at them as sexual objects\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We want to lift up those things that bring us honor\u2026 and minimize or deny those things that bring us shame\u2026 we don’t want to be wrong\u2026 we don’t want to lose face\u2026 sometimes\u2026 in a broken society\u2026 we may have too little self-esteem to start with\u2026 honor and shame\u2026 how they affect our relationships\u2026 and speaking our truths\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve described the movie Powder before\u2026 classmates Jeremy and Lindsay are talking\u2026 and Lindsay asks “What are people like, on the inside?” Powder answers: “Inside most people there’s a feeling of being separate, of being separated from everything. And they’re not. They’re part of absolutely everyone, and everything. And how beautiful they really are. And that there’s no need to hide. And that it’s possible to talk to someone without any lies, without any sarcasm, or deceptions, or exaggerations or any of the things that people use to confuse the truth.” Speaking the truth\u2026 even if your voice shakes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are good people\u2026 we are salt and light\u2026 but sometimes we can be too polite\u2026 we don’t want to offend\u2026 but sometimes we can unwittingly compromise our truths in some of the ways we speak\u2026 for example\u2026 if I dislike broccoli\u2026 really dislike it\u2026 if in a million years I would never buy broccoli or eat it from a salad bar\u2026 and you ask me if I like broccoli\u2026 and I say\u2026 Oh\u2026 I don’t like broccoli<\/em>\u2026 that doesn’t really speak my truth\u2026 it might mean that I dislike it\u2026 but it might also mean that I’m neutral about it\u2026 that I can take it or leave it\u2026 even when I would never take it… and I’ve missed an opportunity to let you know me\u2026 but you may say\u2026 but that goes against what Jesus said in Luke 10:8\u2026 Whenever you enter a town and are welcomed\u2026 eat what is set before you<\/em>\u2026 but we don’t tell those who are gluten intolerant to just receive communion bread and see what happens\u2026 Leviticus 11:10 teaches that shrimp is an abomination\u2026 but I don’t tell Joel\u2026 who’s allergic to it\u2026 just eat it and see what happens\u2026 it is part of our hospitality to accommodate people when we can\u2026 and anymore\u2026 when we invite someone over for dinner\u2026 we ask\u2026 are there any food allergies\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speak the truth\u2026 even if your voice shakes\u2026 our truth is simply our experience\u2026 Jesus spoke out of his experience\u2026 but too many of us think that our experience has to be right\u2026 or we’re afraid that someone will make us wrong for what we think and feel\u2026 we confuse the truth because we’re afraid of being shamed\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And what’s ironic\u2026 is the only time we deserve to feel shame\u2026 is when we try to act like God\u2026 that’s what’s shameful\u2026 there’s no grace in that\u2026 real grace allows us to experience all of the subtleties which influence our relationships\u2026 real grace forgives\u2026 real grace asks that we stand up for those whose voices shake\u2026 even when some of those people may be us\u2026 it allows our simple Yes\u2026 to be Yes\u2026 and our simple No\u2026 to be No\u2026 and it allows us\u2026 to be enough\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year A Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 119:1-8 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37 May the words of my mouth\u2026 O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026 Moses has been dealing with his mortality\u2026 he knows he’s about to die\u2026 the Israelites are at the Jordan river about to enter the promised land\u2026 and Moses is looking back on the highs and lows they’ve experienced\u2026 he wants to tell his people one more time how to live\u2026 he wants them to choose life\u2026 but what does it mean to choose life\u2026 isn’t that what we all do\u2026 According to Moses\u2026 it means loving God with all our heart\u2026 mind\u2026 strength\u2026 and soul\u2026 but Moses also says that the good life includes things like canceling the debts of the poor\u2026 urging the government to guard against excessive wealth\u2026 limiting those who can be drafted\u2026 offering hospitality to runaway slaves\u2026 paying employees fairly\u2026 leaving part of the harvest for those who need it\u2026 and we continue to deal even today with things like these which were written seven hundred years before Jesus was born\u2026 here’s what Deuteronomy 15:5 says about protecting human dignity by limiting punishment\u2026 It says take the land that the LORD your God gives you as a possession\u2026 and establish within it three cities\u2026 so that if someone kills another person unintentionally\u2026 two people who had not been enemies before\u2026 that he may flee to one of those cities and live\u2026 suppose\u2026 the text says\u2026 suppose two go into the forest to cut wood\u2026 and when one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree\u2026 the head slips from the handle and strikes the other person\u2026 and he dies\u2026 what we might call accidental homicide\u2026 and since the two had not been enemies before\u2026 since there was nothing estranged in their relationship… then that man may flee to one of these sanctuary cities and live\u2026 Today’s Gospel is again\u2026 a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount\u2026 like Moses\u2026 Jesus is expounding on the Ten Commandments\u2026 and what he teaches has everything to do with relationship\u2026 ] it’s bad enough to commit murder because of unresolved hostility\u2026 but Jesus is saying that even anger can kill\u2026 it kills relationships\u2026 it kills opportunity\u2026 it keeps us from loving our neighbor as ourselves\u2026 Jesus says that if we’re angry with someone\u2026 then we too will be subject to judgement\u2026 that there’s a relationship between judgement and anger\u2026 and anger can arise when our experience of something is at odds with our expectation of it\u2026 like how some people would feel if their favorite Super Bowl team loses\u2026 the one with one of the Kelce brothers on it\u2026 Jesus says that if we’re at the altar offering our gift\u2026 and we remember that someone has something against us\u2026 to go and be reconciled\u2026 not if we realize that we’re angry with someone else\u2026 but if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you\u2026 go and be reconciled\u2026 that tells me that God cares more about reconciliation than about receiving our gifts\u2026 and that it’s all about relationship\u2026 ] but don’t most of us\u2026 I do for one\u2026 sometimes wish that liturgy was a substitute for dealing directly with those we have wronged\u2026 I mean\u2026 bringing a gift to the altar\u2026 seeking atonement with God\u2026 is easier than seeking out the one you have wronged\u2026 or who has wronged us\u2026 that’s why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which addressed apartheid in South Africa was so painful yet powerful\u2026 because people spoke their truth\u2026 even when their voices shook… Jesus said\u2026 a man who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart\u2026 this one is harder to understand\u2026 someone may say\u2026 I didn’t do anything\u2026 but that negates powerful and subtle motivations\u2026 the husband of the woman may notice that look \u2026 and may become suspicious that something is going on\u2026 may start treating her badly\u2026 may beat her\u2026 as though it had really happened\u2026 and their relationship is damaged because of a look\u2026 even today\u2026 in some parts of the world\u2026 young women are killed because they speak the truth\u2026 even if their voice shakes\u2026 they refuse to marry a man they don’t love\u2026 or they try to escape from an abusive relationship\u2026 and their relatives believe they have brought shame on the family\u2026 it’s all about relationship\u2026 so the more that men really want to protect the dignity of women\u2026 the more they ought to avoid looking at them as sexual objects\u2026 We want to lift up those things that bring us honor\u2026 and minimize or deny those things that bring us shame\u2026 we don’t want to be wrong\u2026 we don’t want to lose face\u2026 sometimes\u2026 in a broken society\u2026 we may have too little self-esteem to start with\u2026 honor and shame\u2026 how they affect our relationships\u2026 and speaking our truths\u2026 I’ve described the movie Powder before\u2026 classmates Jeremy and Lindsay are talking\u2026 and Lindsay asks “What are people like, on the inside?” Powder answers: “Inside most people there’s a feeling of being separate, of being separated from everything. And they’re not. They’re part of absolutely everyone, and everything. And how beautiful they really are. And that there’s no need to hide. And that it’s possible to talk to someone without any lies, without any sarcasm, or deceptions, or exaggerations or any of the things that people use to confuse the truth.” Speaking the truth\u2026 even if your voice shakes\u2026 We are good people\u2026 we are salt and light\u2026 but sometimes we can be too polite\u2026 we don’t want to offend\u2026 but sometimes we can unwittingly compromise our truths in some of the ways we speak\u2026 for example\u2026 if I dislike broccoli\u2026 really dislike it\u2026 if in a million years I would never buy broccoli or eat it from a salad bar\u2026 and you ask me if I like broccoli\u2026 and I say\u2026 Oh\u2026 I don’t like broccoli\u2026 that doesn’t really speak my truth\u2026 it might mean that I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[232,159,231],"class_list":["post-1957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons","tag-reconciliation","tag-relationship-with-god","tag-time-after-epiphany"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1957"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1958,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957\/revisions\/1958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}