We Testify to Love

Luke 21:5-19

The good news of our gospel this morning and every morning, my friends, is that God is still in charge. Today’s gospel text from Luke, with its fearsome images and predictions of things to come confidently proclaims God’s faithfulness; God will bring everything to a good end. Know these things to be true.

Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem, where they have been hanging out, with Jesus teaching in the temple for some time now.

Just a few moments before our story takes place, a widow placed into the temple treasury all that she had to give, and Jesus lifted her up as an example of faith and stewardship. In so doing, he further aggravated those who have been seeking to get rid of him, those who have been challenging him, testing his Jewishness.

Jesus’ teaching has caused a divided response within Israel; the people love him and flock to hear him, to be healed by him, to learn from him, to know from his words and actions something about the inclusive and persistent love of God.

The temple leadership, on the other hand, seek to publicly discredit him. They ask him pointed questions, trying to trip him up, and his answers displease them. Jesus is messing with the status quo. He is challenging the powers of the world to come in line with God’s will for all people, and he is delivering a word of hope to those the world would like to forget. We remember that Jesus preached and predicted a grand reversal within the Kingdom of God. These things do not go over well with the established way of being.

In the gospel passage we just read, the people around him (rather than pursue Jesus’ observation about how a widow’s full-on financial commitment to God is more faithful than the showy contributions of the wealthy) distract themselves by marveling at the glory of the temple. And indeed, the temple was grand and magnificent. But Jesus tells them that the temple is a fated institution and a fated place. “…not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” Alarmed, the people demand to know more. They want details. “When will this be? What signs will we see to warn us?

It is then that Jesus gives them not what they want – a timetable, definitive warning signs of the impending doom – but instead gives them what they need - a command, “do not be terrified!”

Horrifying pictures flash through the heads of those people, inciting a sense of panic and dismay. Like Chicken Little, running around in alarm, crying, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” the people are unnerved to think about the fearful times that are coming.

And yet, still, Jesus reassures them, DO NOT BE TERRIFIED. For God is still ultimately in control – for the end, for the times leading up to the end, and for all the times in between. Trust in God. Persevere in living godly lives.

Jesus tells them, discipleship is not easy and you will be tested, but know that you are doing God’s will when you persevere in living lives shaped by the love, mercy, and grace of God made manifest in Jesus Christ. My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is speaking not only to the people who surround him that day; Jesus is speaking to us.

Today, our nation is hurting. Some of us are reeling, shocked, and fearful following the election and its aftermath. Some of us may not understand the depth of dismay and panic brought on by the results of the election, and chalk it up to bad sportsmanship. But the truth is that the divisiveness of this election has left people shaken, doubting, angry, and terrified.

Many people see the gospel passage that we read today as an end-times scriptural text. Many people see the results of this election as a sign of end-times, or at the very least of very scary times to come. Frankly, this would have been the case regardless of the results of the election.

But here’s the thing, and I know it may be hard for some of us to understand: there are people justifiably experiencing very real, visceral fear in response to the election results. Many of these are the people insulted and verbally attacked during the campaign, especially in attacks propagated by our president-elect and his supporters - certain racial and ethnic minorities, women who have suffered discrimination and objectification, as well as those who are survivors of sexual assault, persons with disabilities, individuals who identify as anything other than heterosexual, and people of certain faith traditions.

For many who live in the margins, for many who feel categorized and despised by their neighbors and by those they now perceive as having control of our country, because of the rhetoric raised over the past year, they feel as though our nation has endorsed hatred and violence that targets them. Most of us don’t live this truth, but in compassion, we need to understand that their fear is real and it is justified.

Unfortunately, events occurring in many places since Tuesday support this fear. Perhaps you might think this is an over-reaction, like Chicken Little’s cries. But for people who have fought long and hard against the establishment, to make small inroads of progress in their bid for equality, the fear is very real.

Whether we understand it, or agree with it or not, our mandate as Christ-followers is to testify to the love of God manifest in Jesus Christ, to acknowledge that all are created in the image of God, and that they are loved and treasured not only by God but by us as well. As disciples of Christ, it is up to us to bear healing balm with our words and actions.

My friends, I know from our conversations and from having worked and worshiped with you over the past several years, that you don’t endorse racism, misogyny, or the hatred not caused by, but certainly revealed in this election. I know that you reject such things. We live in the hope that those in leadership of our country also don’t and won’t endorse these things, despite anything that may have been said during a long and hard-fought campaign.

So I ask you now, brothers and sisters in Christ, to commit yourselves to constant prayer for our country, our church, our neighbors, our world. We need to pray for the most vulnerable, and for those who today feel unsafe in their own home, neighborhood, and land, and to reach out to them with love and hope for a better tomorrow.

Let us hear again and remember, what Jesus says in the middle of this passage: “Do not be terrified.”

In this text, Jesus redirects folks to the fundamental declaration that God has made: I have created you, and claimed you; you are mine. I am in charge. For this reason you have nothing to fear.

Now let us use this opportunity to testify to the love of God in Christ Jesus, to put aside our differences, to testify that, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Let us be the beacons of light that drive out darkness. Let us reveal and testify to the love that drives out hate. By the grace of God, let us use every occasion to declare that nothing in heaven or on earth, nothing in all creation, no created building or institution can keep us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Last week we heard the words of Jesus, “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

“If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6:27-31)

In times of trial, Jesus bids us to testify. We testify to the greatness of God when we meet the frustration, fear, anger, feelings of betrayal, and hatred in our world with the love of Christ.

To testify to the love of God in Christ Jesus for all people, we acknowledge first and foremost that God has created us all in God’s image, and that God loves and cares for the welfare of all people. God cares for and loves our neighbor, whoever that might be.

One of the most distressing things about the divisiveness of the past year is the way our differences were driven out in front of us and then used to further divide us. Testifying to God’s faithfulness, we reject such division.

Instead, we raise up the value of each human being, created in God’s image, as worthy and demanding of our love and our care.

We testify to the love of God in Christ Jesus when we defend every woman who has been objectified, harassed, or molested. We testify to who Jesus Christ is when we respect the disabled and feed the poor and look out for the welfare of the child.

We testify to the equality with which we are all created by our maker when we embrace every man, woman and child of color and declare that it is unacceptable for them to be demeaned, discriminated against, oppressed, or for their homes, churches, businesses or person to be used for target practice. We testify to the love of God in Christ Jesus when we defend the rights of our LGBTQ neighbors and friends and speak up where we see injustice taking place.

We testify to the love of God in Christ Jesus when we ensure that our Muslim neighbors are able to walk down the street, or go to work, or ride mass transit, or attend temple or mosque without being disturbed or molested, and when we walk with them.

We testify to the love of God in Christ Jesus when we pray for our president-elect, and all our newly elected and re-elected officials who will shape policy and law of our country for the next few years.

We testify to the love of God in Christ Jesus when we listen, respectfully and lovingly, to our neighbor who holds an opposing viewpoint, or who is fearful because she or he believes their freedoms may be lost.

The presiding bishop of the ELCA, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, addressed the aftermath of Election Tuesday in this way:

“We had an election on Tuesday,” she began. “Many of us woke up the next day with a sense of joy, many of us woke up the next day with a sense of sorrow. After this long and divisive campaign, many of us woke up feeling weary. But we all woke up in the same country.

“No human candidate can guarantee our life or our future,” she goes on to say. “That is work that God has done through the death and resurrection of Jesus. And in Baptism we are joined to Christ in that same Baptism and Resurrection.

“So what do we do, Dear Church? Three things: Remember that all human beings are created in the image of God, even the ones who didn’t vote for your candidate. Pray for our country, for those elected, for understanding. And then we get back to work doing the things the church has always done. Welcome the stranger; feed the hungry; clothe the naked; visit the sick and those in prison; work for justice and peace in all the earth.

“[We do this} All in the name of the one who is our hope, our life and our peace, Jesus, who has set us free to serve our neighbor.”

 May it be so.  Amen.

The Demands of a Broken-Hearted God

Galatians 3:23-29 & Luke 8:26-39

For many of us, thinking back on the parent-child relationship calls to mind complicated feelings and memories, especially as they apply to the demands of our parents. Who here does not remember a time, when their parents seemed overly demanding, with high expectations and what you deemed as low tolerance for goof-ups? Even in the best parent-child relationships, although the intent of the parent is good, reasonable and responsible, the demands of a parent may seem harsh and unwelcomed. Especially during those rebellious, teenage years. Sometimes those feelings persist into adulthood.

Well, my friends, the truth is, ours is a demanding, unsettling God, a God who also makes demands of us, demands we are often unprepared to hear and unwilling to follow.

We much prefer the God who is full of grace, (which he is) who forgives us all our sins, (which, through Christ, he does), who promises us great things, who blesses us abundantly, who is ever for us and ever before us, and never asks us for a thing.

So, while it is true that God is the giver of all good things, there is also the other aspect of God, the God who, in relationship with us says, “yes, I love you and you are mine, and there is nothing in this world or the next that can change that. I have given you unending life through Jesus. But it is not for you alone. It is for the goodness of the kingdom of God in which you have a stake. Therefore, there are things I need you to do.” And then come the demands.

The demands of God begin with things like,

believe in me,

trust in me,

            love me, and

be still, and know that I am God.  

            Frankly, those seem like okay demands, inviting us into a relationship where God is our rock.

But then, there are these others: Look out and stand up for those who are ignored, preyed upon, or oppressed. Show mercy to all, love the stranger, forgive as you wish to be forgiven. Turn away from the things that have come before, and follow me by following Jesus.  

Of course there are these demands we Lutherans especially love to hate – “go!” Jesus says, “Go out into the world; spread the good news; tell my story; tell others about the good things you have seen and heard. And remember, to follow me, you will love like me, live like me, and die like me.”

Whoa! These demands are a little more tricky, and we are as resistant to those as we were to those of our earthly parents.

Then we realize the truth: This loving, demanding God has expectations. And it is our nature to push back against them. They are demands we often ignore. They call us out of our comfort zone. They make this relationship with God not about me anymore, but about God, and about the things and the people God values and cares for.

When it comes right down to it, these demands have one thing at the core – love. They all hinge on what Jesus called the great commandment, that we love the Lord our God above everything else and that love be at the core of all we do, of our relationships with all people.

Obeying God then becomes about sharing this love that Jesus modeled so perfectly and allowing it to shape our lives so clearly that others will see and know that we are disciples of Christ.

Events in our world today call us to be ever more faithful stewards of this family that God has created but which has become so fractured and torn apart by sin.  These events testify just how much the world needs to know the healing, saving, inclusive love of God. It is this love, created by faith through Christ, of which Paul writes when he argues that in Christ, we are made children of God and we are clothed with Christ.

Because of Jesus, within the human family created by God, there is to be no  distinction – no difference - among us. In Paul’s words, There is no longer Jew or Greek, no longer slave or free, no longer male or female. There is to be among us no distinction by age, class, color, language, nationality, sexuality or religion.

In the human family of God’s creation we are all one, while at the same time expressing the individuality with which we are blessed in myriad ways. We are all members of one family, where love and acceptance, mutual respect and equality are presumed. In this family of God, we are not all the same, but we are all cherished the same, with no distinction in the economy of God’s care – black, white, Christian, Jew, Muslim, agnostic, Taoist; rich, and poor, straight or queer, God has created and loves us all.

In the past year, as we have watched, horrified at events unfolding in the world all around us, we have become more aware than ever of our own failures and at the systemic failure to make God’s way known. It was one year ago this week that the massacre of black Christians during a bible study in a church in Charleston, South Carolina took place; a massacre committed by one of our own, deeply entrenched in racist ideology.

A week ago, as we gathered for worship here in our sanctuary, news outlets were broadcasting the horrific details, yet unfolding, of another, larger, hate-inspired massacre, a mass killing that has earned the distinction of “largest-ever,” mass shooting in our country. The divide in our culture and in our country is so wide, and the bigotry and hatred of groups so pervasive, that this kind of violence has become routine, except by its scope. Who is possessed by demons now?

It has to stop. This, has. To. Stop. The God we experience and know abhors the killing, abhors the hatred, and is deeply saddened by the divisions and in-fighting that follows every one of these atrocities. We live in a society that is so divided by our differences that rather than come together in solidarity following each of these tragedies, we become further polarized.

The God who gave his own son over to death for the salvation of the world is a demanding God, a God who demands our love not only for Godself but for one another. The God who demands our compassion be poured out on the “least of these” will not stop sending us out to heal the sick and tend to the broken-hearted, and commands our love for all people.

The texts we have before us today invite and demand our participation in the mission of reaching out to those who are disenfranchised, those who are hated, those who are persecuted. The texts we have before us today testify to just how much the world needs to know the healing, saving, inclusive love of God.

In our Gospel story, Jesus and the disciples have just crossed the sea on their way to Gerasa, which is in Gentile territory. On the way the disciples’ boat was beset by a storm, which Jesus miraculously stilled – the discipes are amazed and frightened – how is it that Jesus has the power to still a stormy sea, calm the winds, and transform their terror?

When they arrive on the distant shore, they encounter a Gentile man whom Jesus heals, from whom demons, who obey Jesus’ command, are driven. Not only does the natural world of wind and rain and catapulting waves obey Jesus, but the supernatural world of demons knows and obeys him as well.

Jesus heals and transforms a man who has been so encumbered by demons that his whole identity has been swallowed up by their possession of him. So overcome by demons has the life of this man become that when Jesus asks him his name, he tragically replies not with a name as you and I have, but with a label that underscores the horrible possession he has endured – one that has rendered him inhuman. But Jesus knows better. Jesus connects him to his humanity.

My friends, there is nowhere that God will not go to reach, love and free those who are broken and despairing. Not only is the demoniac a Gentile, living in the wrong zip code, without a name of his own or an identity, but because of the demons possessing him, he has been hanging out in the tombs – you know – where dead people are lain.

On so many accounts, it would be understandable for Jesus to pass him by. He is perilously unclean – he is possessed by an unclean spirit, living in an unclean place, among the dead. By any measure, one to be avoided and despised. This is the very last place Jesus should be, and the very last person Jesus should have anything to do with. And yet – that is exactly where God usually shows up.

After his healing, he sits at the feet of Jesus – this is the place disciples sit. He wants to go where Jesus will go when he returns to Galilee. But Jesus tells him, no, stay and go – go tell the story of what I have done for you.

They will see your transformation and understand my power and authority.

Tell them that there is nowhere that God will not go to breathe life into those who are dead. Jesus does not leave this man unforsaken, but transformed. David Lose writes:

“…there is no place on earth that is God-forsaken. Moreover, and more importantly, there is no person that is God-forsaken. Unclean. Outcast. Abandoned. Unpopular. Incarcerated. Unbeliever. No one is left out. Consider, there is no indication that this Gentile man later became Jewish or, for that matter, Christian. He wants to follow Jesus, but Jesus sends him back home with the instructions, “Go and tell what God has done for you.”

To put all this another way: There are no conditions to be met to receive God’s love. You don’t have to be wealthy…or poor. You don’t have to be from one ethnic group…or another. You don’t have to have believed your whole life, or come to faith only recently, or have any faith at all. Jesus seeks out everyone, even this unclean man possessed by an unclean spirit living in an unclean place. And just so God loves all: male and female; young and old; gay or straight; white, black, Asian, Latino; believers and non-believers; Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, atheist; the list goes on.

“Which might make us ask, where are we willing to go? Whom are we willing to love? In the wake of one more violent crime of hate and terror, we need, I think, first to be reminded that God is always among those in greatest pain and need and, second, that we are sent to go and do likewise. This week, that means God was particularly present in Orlando, and so should we, whether physically present, via vigil other means of support, or in our own corporate and personal prayer.

“This is not often easy work, of course, but we take it up and go out knowing that as God is sending us, God is with us, working through us to seek out those in need, to share a word of mercy and grace, and to witness to the hope we have in Jesus, the one who continues to seek us out when we feel down and out, caught in the shadow lands, eager for a new name, identity and future. 

Thanks be to God!