Sermon - 2/16/20

We are a people who love having the freedom to make choices, and we like to have multiple options before us as we make those choices.  Quite honestly, having options to choose from in any given situation has become a staple of the American dream.  We are daily confronted with dozens of choices like deciding on fries or chips, a large drink or a small drink, the list simply goes on and on.  Right now, we clearly see that political agendas of all flavors are being sold on a platform of choices.  And, quite frankly, we are blind to the privilege we have when we are given so many choices on a regular basis. 

Today’s scripture readings are about the choices we make and then how we live with the consequences of our decisions. On the one hand, there are certain factors in life in which we don’t, or maybe even can’t, choose.  We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents or our families. We do not choose the historical time or the country in which we were born. And, at the end of life, most of us do not choose to die; nor do we choose the time or the conditions of our death. On the other hand, in between our birth and our death, we make a myriad of choices about how we shall live our lives and how we shall spend our time here on earth.

In today’s Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy, we find Moses finishing his long list of instructions to the Israelites as they came to the end of their forty years of wandering in the wilderness.  They were finally camped on the east side of the Jordan River, ready to cross over into the Promised Land.  Summarizing what was most important for God’s covenant people to know as they are about to step foot into this unconquered territory without him,  Moses instructs the people to “Choose life.”  Choose life over death. Decide on a life of blessing over a life that is a curse. Moses gave these former Hebrew slaves a choice: “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying God, and holding fast to God; for that means life and length of days…” Yes, Israel was faced with a clear choice. They could follow the God-given commandments and trust God, or they could yield to the culture and multiple pagan gods of the Canaanites. The first option led to fullness of life, and the latter led to “death,” which wasn’t necessarily physical extermination but an existence that lacked joy, well-being, security, and a life with meaning.  Such a death might better be described as the complete opposite of God’s shalom.  However, if the Israelites chose faithful obedience to God’s laws, they would become fully alive, for they would know the love of God and experience the best life had to offer by living in healthy relationship with God and others.

In our gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus was teaching his disciples about what it means to live as citizens within God’s kingdom. It helps to remember from last week that Jesus said he came not to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them. Jesus then showed the disciples what the “fulfilled” life looks like.  He informs all would-be disciples, then and now, that whoever seeks to follow him must choose to go further than merely keeping the letter of the law as did the scribes and Pharisees. His disciples must also keep the spirit and the intention of the Law. The law was not simply something that was to be observed outside of oneself, it was something that needed to be internalized and come from a transformed heart.  It must have meaning, showing forth in the way we live our lives and in the way we live in relationship to others.  If the people kept the spirit and intention of the law, if God’s law of love was written in their hearts, they would be fully alive to both God and others.  So, Jesus raises the bar by referring to several of God’s commandments, saying, “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you…”

• You have heard it said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Jesus warns the disciples that it’s not enough to refrain from murder.  He warns them against unresolved anger and says they are sent to make peace and be reconciled with one another. Who is right or wrong seems beside the point. We should treat each other with respect and that means not speaking hateful words, not calling other people names, not demeaning others and not meting out vengeance.  The reality is that words matter!  At issue are broken relationships and the need for healing within the two parties.
• You have heard it said, “You shall not commit adultery.” The act of adultery is wrong; but, whether or not one actually commits the sinful act, the lust that occurs within a person’s heart is also a violation of the holy covenant. God desires a relationship of wholeness between partners. The lust that looks on another person as a sexual object to be exploited is prohibited in favor of a godly love that sees the other person as a child of God who is also made in God’s image.
• Jesus also addresses divorce. Now it is important to understand that his words about divorce are not to be turned into a new restriction that forever keeps broken marriages bound together despite the brokenness. No, Jesus wants to affirm the sanctity of marriage, and warn those who use their spouse like throw-away toys without regard for their welfare after the divorce.  We should not treat people as disposable, and we should make sure that the most vulnerable are provided for.  And, in the culture of that time as well as in places in our world today, the most vulnerable usually are women and children.
• You have heard it said, “You shall not swear falsely against your neighbor.” It is not enough to keep from swearing falsely, lying to others or lying about others.  We should speak and act truthfully in all our dealings so that we don’t need to make pledges at all.  What Jesus calls for is that we be honest in all our dealings. Honesty is the outward expression of an inner integrity.   Truthfulness and faithfulness are characteristics of the life lived under the rule of God.

 

We see in Jesus’ teachings that God does not want us only to avoid committing wrongs.  God wants much more. God is all about right relationships, and God wants us to love our neighbors and one another from the innermost affection of our hearts. God wants us to love others based on the way God loves us. We are to live our lives from the inside out as we recognize that we are created in God’s image, as are all other people!  Therefore, the divine stamp upon us must influence how we think, how we feel, and how we act. This isn’t about “being good,” but being alive in the fullest sense. Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” Joy and a great sense of fulfillment come from keeping God’s law.  When we do as Jesus instructs, we find that we are intimately connected to God and all others, and we become fully alive.  When we do this, our life of worship becomes deeply connected to the most vulnerable among us and to the starving world.  And, quite honestly, as I mentioned last week, that is where liturgical practice or worship really begins.  Worship really happens in our lives once we leave this place as we live our lives from Monday through Saturday.  So, be reconciled to others and worship with all your heart.

Moses said, “Today I set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Choose life.”  History bears out, however, that many times the Israelites chose their own way and suffered the consequences of their own decisions.  Yet, we discover throughout the Bible that God remains faithful to the people in a myriad of ways, despite their wrong choices.  Friends, choosing life is a lifelong process, sometimes only learned in the midst of struggle and challenge.  And, as we see in today’s gospel reading, Jesus is always not only calling us to be reconciled as we live in relationship to all others, but to come to the altar and give our very selves to God.  We are to choose life, turn toward God and give God our very hearts.  And, as we come to this place and give our very lives to God, we receive in return all that we need not just to survive, but to truly live. 

So, let’s stand and sing from the depth of our hearts these words:

What have we to offer?  What have we to give?

Eyes that are wide open; lies that we won’t live;

Truth that must be spoken; justice somehow.

Lay it at the altar now. What have we to offer?

What have we to give?  Lives we will live.