Sermon 2/22/2022 “God has a dream”
Preacher: Jo J. Belser
Location: The Fountains at Washington House, Alexandria, Virginia
Text : Luke 6:21-38 (NRSV) (The Message)
Day: 7Epiphany, Year C
God has a dream. It’s a dream that many like Dr. King have seen, a dream of equality, freedom, and reunion with God and all creatures. Little, even hesitant, steps take us toward that dream as we walk in God’s will. Defensive, angry, and fearful reactions take us further away from God’s dream.
One of my neighbors erected a fence around his property last week, a fence with the finished side toward his house and not his neighbors’. This week he has begun work to build a guest house to rent to random strangers. I confess to harboring some unkind thoughts about this situation. In this, am far from the dream of God.
An anonymous prisoner at the Ravenstock concentration camp left a prayer next to the body of a dead child. It said, “O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will; but do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us; remember the fruits we have brought, thanks to this suffering: our comradeship, our loyalty, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this; and when they come to judgment, let all the faults which we have borne be their forgiveness.”
Not far from the dream of God, wouldn’t you say?
Over the doorway of a southern California hospital are these words and question: “Do you want to get even, or do you want to get well?” We usually hear this the other way around: “Don’t get mad, get even.” This is our modern version of the Old Testament principle, “An eye for and eye, a tooth for a tooth.” We are counseled such by friends in our injuries real or imagined. We fume in our own fears that this is the only way to regain equilibrium and honor.
Getting even is and has been “the way” throughout human history, with one notable exception. Jesus in his exception seeks to make us “well,” not even. The ethic of unconditional love will bring you and me closer to God’s dream.
There are two different ways to react to trouble: “Fight or Flight.” Most of us react to potentially threatening persons with either the Fist or our Backsides. Life has taught us these two coping skills.
Jesus offers us a new skill: “No more tit-for-tat stuff.” There are other tools for the Christian to use. The first is to respond with “the energies of prayer for that person.” (The Message) Ask yourself what you want people to do for you when you’re in a similar situation. Prayer and reflection begin us in this new way of love.
This new ethic does not happen all at once. It takes time and reflection. In our first lesson, Joseph had a time lapse before he could see and embrace God’s ultimate action in and through the hateful behaviors of his siblings who had sold him into slavery. It’s taken the church time to see that it wasn’t Judas’ fault that Jesus was served up to death, that it wasn’t even the Jews fault that he was crucified. It takes our time and reflection as well to let our guards down, to let our fists relax, to let our desires to run away from the trouble dissipate.
And then, it takes more grace, peace, and courage to go beyond just letting go. It takes an act of generosity on our parts toward the enemy to reveal the kingdom of God within – a kingdom of God worth struggling for – a kingdom of God wherein we can delight in the Lord all our days; wherein we become a part of the dream of God. It takes us to love our enemies – to keep God’s dream afresh. Amen.
