The Times are a Changin'

February 11, 2007

Epiphany 6, Yr C, rcl

Luke 12:6-31

You may have noticed that I added verses to the Gospel lesson as I read it this evening. It wasn’t a mistake in the bulletin, but rather something that I felt that I had to do the more that I thought about this passage. This evening, we were supposed to just hear what is referred to as the Sermon on the Plain, or the Beatitudes. The blessings and woes part of the Gospel lesson. However, the more that I read, thought, prayed about this particular section, the more I realized that I had to include what comes before and after this.

The Gospel of Luke is all about story telling, about weaving a picture of Jesus and his ministry through how each piece dove tails on the next. We cannot hear the Sermon on the Plain without knowing that he has just called his disciples and that this is their first real lesson on what it will mean to follow him and what he is about.

You see, for me, it is difficult to just hear the Sermon on the Plain and not hear anything else, because I don’t believe that it gives the whole picture of what is happening and what Luke is trying to tell us about Jesus. But, if we read what comes before and what comes after, we see Jesus is forming his ministry, we see that he is telling the disciples that times are a changin and that everything is going to be different now that they are following him and now that he is in the world.

So let’s walk our way through this and see what story it tells us through the words of Luke.

Jesus has just been up on the mountain praying. He is taking a time out. He is taking a breather. He in silence, spending time with God before he continues on the journey. As he comes down the mountain, he calls the disciples, those who will follow him and help him in his ministry. He doesn’t call the most powerful or the most tight knit crowd, but rather a motley crew of people with different occupations, different backgrounds and no one who had power in the society around them.

He chose the twelve and took them to a level place – took them to a place that is not too overwhelming, but a place where they can gather and discover more about this man they have just left everything for. On this level place, he begins to teach them as others are gathering around. He begins to teach by telling them that things are not going to be the same. That those who, in this society, are down and out – they will be glorified and raised. And those who seem to have everything – they will loose what they have and will be sorrowful and lost.

These sayings of “blessings” and “woes”, are not Jesus glamorizing poverty and suffering – nor is he calling us to go become poor or make ourselves sick or weak. There is something much greater in this message.

Jesus knew that being poor and sick and on the outs can lead to despair and lead to a life that is full of pain and more suffering, but he also know that when we are in our greatest need is often when we find God. When we are in need, we are more likely to turn to God than when we feel that we have everything. That is where the woes come into the picture. The woes are to get the attention of those who do have everything – or those who think that they have everything. When we have everything, and when we are happiest, is when we are in the most danger of loosing our way, thinking that we know best, thinking that we are in charge. When we are in a position where we have what we need and we are powerful and independent, we often run the risk of forgetting what we really need – and that is life with God our Creator, God who walked among us, and God who dwells among us each and every day.

Jesus is telling his disciples that they don’t need anything but God in their lives. That it doesn’t matter what they were before, because with God, they will find power they never knew they had. It doesn’t matter where they have come from or what they are dealing with, because God is with them to lead them, to comfort them, to guide them and to give them what they need in this life and in the next.

God is with them and will continue to be with them no matter what they encounter, no matter what life brings their way.

Jesus continues to prepare them for their new life by telling them how to live differently, how to live as God wants us to live. “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 check, 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.”

This, is a radically different world view – love our enemies? Do good to those who hate us? Bless those who curse us? Pray for those who abuse me? What is Jesus talking about? This isn’t how the world is run. Ahhhh – but for Jesus, this is how the world is run. God is calling them, and in turn us, into a different way of life. When you are struggling with someone, pray for them, love them, and send them good thoughts. When you know that someone hates you, do something nice for them, and treat them well. When someone is speaking ill of you, bless them. And when those around you are abusing you in whatever way, turn and pray for them. How in the world will this help us? And what does this have to do with God?

Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” If we look to the Muslim faith, they have a similar saying, “Live in harmony, for we are all related.” And the Jewish faith says, “What you yourself hate, do to no man.” Each of the major religions are guided by what many call the “golden rule” – or the way that we are to treat one another and live in the presence of God. I remember this from my kindergarten Sunday school class, but it is not a child’s lesson. This is a lesson for us all. Think about it – if we truly treated everyone around us how we would want to be treated, the world would be a radically different place and that is the place that Jesus is teaching about, that is the place that God wants us to live in and that is the place that the Holy Spirit is leading us to.

Our world needs us to live into what Jesus taught in order for us to bring the Kingdom of God here on earth. And how do we do that?

I’m not going to answer that, because for each of us, it will be something different. I’m asking for each of us, myself included, to go somewhere and be quiet with God, to pray, to find some space in this next week and intentionally be with God. Jesus did this often, especially as he was about to embark on a new journey or when he needed direction. Prayer is about opening yourself to what God might be asking of you. I’m asking you to do this now, so that we can all be more prepared for Lent which will be here in less than two weeks. Lent is a time of soul-searching and repentance, a time what we intentionally are brining ourselves closer to God. It is a season for taking stock of your life and for reflection. I’m asking us to take this next week and a half to prepare ourselves for Lent, to prepare ourselves for what Jesus is asking of us at this time in our lives.

How are you going to change your life to more closely live with God? What can you do differently, or what can you start doing in order to bring the kingdom of God here on earth? Pray, be in silence, be with God, find that space each day where you can pause and ask God what you are to do with your life so that we do not need to live with blessings and woes, but rather with equality and love, treating one another with respect and love.