First Lesson: Genesis 45: 3-11, 15 Responsive Reading: Psalm 37: 1-11, 39-40 Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15: 35-38, 42-50 Gospel Lesson: Luke 6: 27-38 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
“Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”-Romans 13:10. Ed Markquardt tells the following story[1]. Once upon a time, there was a gentleman out driving, who did the safe thing by braking at an intersection upon seeing the light turn yellow. The woman driving behind him though was furious. She knew that both cars could have made the intersection before the red light. She starts honking her horn repeatedly and cussing up a blue streak loud enough that the other stopped cars could hear her. In the midst of her ranting, raving, and honking, she hears a tap upon the window. She sees a very stern looking police officer staring at her. The officer orders her out of the car and takes her to the police station. She is fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell[2]. After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches her cell and opens the door. She then is brought out front, where the arresting office greets her[3]. He began to speak: “I’m awfully sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed your ‘What Would Jesus Do’ and Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper stickers, and chrome plated Jesus (Christian) fish on the trunk[4].” “Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car[5].” Jonathan Swift was a clergyman born in England in 1667[6]. Swift’s greatest fame though isn’t as a preacher, but rather as a writer. Swift’s most well-known work is Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver’s Travels tells the story of a ship captain named Gulliver whose ship would get continually get shipwrecked[7]. These wrecks would always lead Gulliver to islands and civilizations that no Englishmen had ever seen. First Island, Gulliver visits it’s full of little people, six inches tall where Gulliver towers as a giant. The second island, Gulliver is an insect surrounded by giants over forty feet tall. On the third island, the people are of average size but don’t possess the ability to communicate. They run around like animals within the woods. On this island, the civilized beings are talking horses[8]. Gulliver is immediately struck by the world that the horses have created. No one steals on this island, is mean, and they are so honest that their language doesn’t even have a word for lying[9]. The horses treat each other with complete respect and peace reigns supreme among them. Gulliver in all his travels had finally found the perfect place that he never desired to leave[10]. What ends up happening to Gulliver and the talking horses? We’ll get back to his story in just a little bit. Today’s Gospel lesson comes to us from Luke 6[11]. It comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. Let me set the stage for Today’s lesson. Luke’s Gospel is written in the earliest days of the Christian church. The earliest Christians were a persecuted minority among both Jewish and Roman authorities within their homeland. Luke’s Gospel seeks to address: “How should we respond to the name-calling and threats we receive on a daily basis?” So Luke quotes Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain as an example of how to build up the Christian community around them[12]. The clearest way Luke seeks to build up this community is verse 31 where he declares: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke’s saying to his first readers: “If you want a peaceful world like Gulliver experienced in the presence of the talking horses then live this way.” This statement is what’s known as the “Golden Rule.” It’s known as the “Golden Rule” because Gold had long been considered the most precious commodity in the entire world[13]. For example, King Tut of Egypt was buried a little over thirteen hundred years before the Birth of Christ[14]. King Tut was buried with a golden mask[15]. Subsequent Pharaohs of Egypt would always be buried with golden jewelry or other trinkets as a way to symbolize their importance amongst the people of Egypt[16]. The Golden Rule finds its basis in the earliest parts of the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 6:5 declares: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Leviticus 19:18 then declares: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” How the Golden Rule is supposed to function is it’s supposed to cause us to question our first instinct about how to respond. Like the woman stuck at the traffic light, we will all inevitability get angry and tend to say and do things we know aren’t good for us and others. It’s often tough to prioritize in half a second, the safety and schedule of total strangers sitting at the light on the other side of the intersection. Not responding when tempted can be hard, a few months back, I was watching the Chicago Bears play Vikings. As the fourth quarter was in progress, it was evident to everyone in the stadium that the Bears were going to end the Vikings season. Now down at the end of the aisle from me was a Bears fan who had been drinking, as Viking fans were exiting before the end of the game, her mouth got roaring. She started calling Viking fans “losers” and using all sorts of additional taunts. Every Vikings fan around her was getting mad. Now witnessing this scene unfold, your first instinct is to try something to quickly right the situation. Jesus’ earliest of followers would have experienced situations and people way more hostile than this. We’re all going to have times when we’re tempted to get mean and rude as a way to right both perceived and actual wrongs. Our sin has a way of only resulting in the death of the world around us. Earlier, I told you the story of Gulliver traveling to the land of the talking horses. Gulliver wanted to stay in such a perfect place as long as he could. The horses though didn’t feel the same way about Gulliver. They thought him to be nothing more than another unintelligible human yahoo[17]. Gulliver thought he had found the perfect place, only to be expelled for his imperfection. Gulliver would spend his remaining days isolated at home, dreading further exposure to his fellow humans. Gulliver’s only solace would be found in his stable, talking to his horses for hours on end[18]. Gulliver exposed a problem that can arise from the Golden Rule; it very easily can lead to spiritual pride. The curse of spiritual pride that has brought nothing but death to the world since the time of Adam and Eve. The point of Jesus giving the Golden Rule within our Gospel lesson is to highlight the type of people that we are called to respond to as Christians. We are called to confront people in their spiritual despair and darkness. Let me close with one final story on the true meaning of the Golden Rule. Mike Adams tells the following story. Adams never knew his grandmother, but knows the story of her death shortly before his birth[19]. Adams’ grandmother Nell died a young woman at the age of 48. How she died showcases the meaning of the Golden Rule. Nell had been diagnosed with cancer; she was scheduled for surgery, where she had a cancer-ridden organ removed. The Doctor thought he had cured Nell’s condition. A short time later, it was revealed that Nell’s cancer had returned in another organ. The Doctor had made a terrible mistake in not spotting this. Nell’s cancer was now so advanced there was no possible cure. The Doctor goes to break to Nell the news; he begins tearfully apologizing for his error[20]. Grandma Nell’s reaction though was remarkable as a person of faith[21]. She knew her doctor to be a good one, who had made a bad mistake even though it would cost her life. Nell then begins to tell the Doctor that he’s forgiven. As her illness advanced, she also proceeded to write the doctor a letter that was so full of grace and hope that he kept it on his desk for the remainder of his career. When Nell died, the doctor canceled all his appointments to attend her funeral. The Doctor proceeds to tell Nell’s daughter how in his years as a doctor, Nell was the only patient who ever tried to console him upon delivering bad news[22]. How Nell’s forgiveness was not only career-changing but life-changing. Nell’s daughter had not been a Christian before all this. As she witnessed her mother’s grace, she changed herself. She concluded that if her mother could have such faith in the midst of great adversity, there is no greater testimony to the presence of Almighty God[23]. Nell’s daughter whole life would become consumed with the Church and extending charity to others. Nell’s death not only changed her children, but eventually her grandchildren, and even her great-grandchildren who she never met[24]. Beyond even this, Nell changed the life of not only her doctor, but every patient he would ever encounter[25]. Here’s the important thing, following the Golden Rule didn’t change people within this story. Christ changed Nell, Nell’s faith changed others. It was in Nell’s weakest moments that the greatest triumph of the Gospel within her was revealed. The reality of this life is encountering people without fault is as likely as meeting talking horses. We will confront instead bad drivers, obnoxious football fans, and even possibly the wrong doctor. These do not serve as opportunities to prove our perfection; they instead speak to all our needs for grace and charity. They point us to Jesus who reminds us that like in the story of Nell’s misdiagnosis; faith and hope will eventually triumph over all circumstances of this world even death. Spring and Easter will be here sooner than we can even imagine! Amen [1] Markquardt, Edward. “The Golden Rule.” Sermons from Seattle. Web. Jan.31.2019. [2] Markquardt, Edward. “The Golden Rule.” Sermons from Seattle. [3] Markquardt, Edward. “The Golden Rule.” Sermons from Seattle. [4] Markquardt, Edward. “The Golden Rule.” Sermons from Seattle. [5] Markquardt, Edward. “The Golden Rule.” Sermons from Seattle. [6] “Jonathan Swift”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 2.Jan.2019. Web. Jan.31.2019. [7] Stier, Leon. “Talking Horses (a).” Email Meditations. 9.Feb.2017. Web. Jan.31.2019. [8] Stier, Leon. “Talking Horses (a).” Email Meditations. [9] Stier, Leon. “Talking Horses (a).” Email Meditations. [10] Stier, Leon. “Talking Horses (a).” Email Meditations. [11] Luke 6:27-38. [12] Allen, Ronald J. “Commentary on Luke 6:27-38.” Working Preacher.Luther Seminary. Saint Paul. 24. Feb.2019. Web. Jan.31.2019. [13] Markquardt, Edward. “The Golden Rule.” Sermons from Seattle. [14] “Tutankhamun.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 29.Jan.2019. Web. Jan.31.2019. [15] Markquardt, Edward. “The Golden Rule.” Sermons from Seattle. [16] Markquardt, Edward. “The Golden Rule.” Sermons from Seattle. [17] “Gulliver's Travels.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 29.Jan.2019. Web. Jan.31.2019. [18] Stier, Leon. “Talking Horses (a).” Email Meditations. [19] Stier, Leon. “The Law Written on Our Hearts (part one).” Email Meditations. 26. Oct. 2014. Web. Jan.31.2019. [20] Stier, Leon. “The Law Written on Our Hearts (part one).” Email Meditations. [21] Stier, Leon. “The Law Written on Our Hearts (part one).” Email Meditations. [22] Stier, Leon. “The Law Written on Our Hearts (part one).” Email Meditations. [23] Stier, Leon. “The Law Written on Our Hearts (part one).” Email Meditations. [24] Stier, Leon. “The Law Written on Our Hearts (part two).” Email Meditations. 27.Oct.2014. Web. Jan.31.2019. [25] Stier, Leon. “The Law Written on Our Hearts (part two).” Email Meditations. Comments are closed.
|
Categories
All
|