7th Sunday after Epiphany

This is a recording of our full service. Enjoy!

Is anyone tired?
Or is it just me?

Is anyone tired of the overwhelming “shouting” on the internet and in the
news?
The vitriol, the name-calling, and the finger pointing?
It’s exhausting.

And Jesus knew it.
Today’s Gospel text is a foundational one in the Christian story:
And it’s particularly timely in this moment in history.

We hear today:
Jesus’ command to love your enemies, to be merciful,
To forgive, and to not judge.

It’s the exact opposite of what we see taking place in our world all around
us.
More than 2000 years later, We still haven’t caught on to Jesus’ words.

Not much has really changed.

There were very similar divisions and polarization in Jesus’ time.
Even within Israel:
There were all sorts of factions:
Sadducees, Pharisees, Temple priests, Essenes:
And each insisted that they were right.
That only they knew the way to be a faithful Jew:
That only they had the answers for a better world.

In Jesus’ speech today,
He’s trying to get his listeners to imagine all of the infighting parties:
Sitting down together:
With even King Herod and Pontius Pilate:
And working out their differences:

Not pointing fingers:
But moving on to embrace his vision of the Kingdom of God.
A Kingdom where people really truly love their neighbors and one another.
If we think about it in today’s terms:

We might imagine Jesus urging Republicans and Democrats, Socialists
and Communists:
All in a room together:
Not pointing fingers:
But moving on (together) to embrace his vision of the Kingdom of God.

It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it?
We still haven’t figured it out.

But maybe even that modern example is too far from home for most of us.
After all:
It’s very easy for us to point to the “higher-ups”
And expect them to fix it:
Or blame them for what’s wrong.

What if (instead) we truly took Jesus’ words seriously:
To not judge:
What if we worried about our own actions, responsibilities, and inactions?
I don’t mean that we shouldn’t call out injustice when we see it.
And I don’t mean that we shouldn’t hold others accountable.

What I DO mean:
Is that we must call out injustice, and hold ourselves accountable for our
own actions.

How many times do we say to a tattling child:
“Worry about yourself!”
But then as adults:
We like to point fingers, tattle, and place blame on others.

Today’s Psalm puts it well saying “Do not fret.”
“Do not fret yourself because of evildoers.”
“Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers.”
“Refrain from anger, leave rage alone, do not fret yourself; it leads only to
evil.”

The Psalmist basically says:
Do not fret over what other people are doing.
It seems like a more poetic way of saying:
“Don’t tattle on your sister! Worry about yourself!”

It reminds me of the Michael Jackson Song “Man in the Mirror.”

Released in 1988: It’s still timely (just like our Gospel text)

The chorus says:
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror,
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could’ve been any clearer
If they wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change.”

The truth is:
So much in this world is out of our control.
But what you can control:
Is YOU.

Notice in Jesus’ speech:
He is telling his listeners what they should do:
Love your enemies:
Do good to those who hate you,
Bless those who curse you
Pray for those who abuse you.

Give to everyone.
Be merciful
Do not judge
Do not condemn.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.

You can control your love:
Your mercy:
Your giving:
And your praying.

(But you can’t control anyone else’s)

In less than two weeks,
We’ll find ourselves in the season of lent:
The perfect time for each of us to take a deep look in the mirror.
To quit fretting over what other people are doing (or not doing)
And making our own individual changes to act with mercy, forgiveness, and
love:
Forsaking all judgment, blame and finger pointing.

And in doing so:
Jesus promises us that the measure you give, will be the measure you get
back.
Don’t fret about the measure that someone else might get back.
For fretting wont change them.
But following Jesus’ commands to love, pray, forgive, and let go of
judgment just might change and transform YOU.

And it’s reminiscent of the revival prayer that we’ve been praying.
Notice:
We haven’t been praying to change other people.
We’ve been praying that the Holy Spirit might change, transform, and
revive US.
And a lot of that work starts by taking a look at “the man in the mirror.”

So Let us Pray:
Holy and Gracious God,
Maker of all things:
You are the source of light and life
And for that we are supremely grateful.

Send us your light and your truth.

In the name of Jesus:
Dispel the darkness covering us;
Destroy the darkness around us.

Drive out all evil:
And bring us your eternal flame of light.

We cry out for you:
Come Lord Jesus;
Come heavenly light:
Come celestial brightness.

Renew us
Enlighten us.
Revive us.

Help us to love our enemies,
To have mercy and to forgive.

Help us to look deeply into ourselves:
Instead of blaming our neighbor.

Send us your Holy Spirit:
Bring us into being:
And create in us something new.
All in the name of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.