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Truth Be Told

A quarterback takes a knee during the singing of the national anthem.
A church hangs a rainbow flag.
A sign goes up that reads, “Black Lives Matter.”
A company commits to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A college acts affirmatively to remedy years of discrimination and prevent discrimination in the future.
A bishop makes a plea to the president to be merciful toward the most vulnerable among us.
All good things, if you ask me. But it’s amazing, isn’t it, how such things can make people so angry. So angry that they are quick to call for such people and places and programs to be defamed, denied, demoted, defunded, and even - in the case of Bishop Budde - deported. So angry that some go so far as to say these places, these programs, even these people… should be destroyed.
But why?
*
Do we have any “Good Omens” fans in the congregation this morning? Neil Gaiman not withstanding, it’s worth reading and watching, if for no other scene then the one in which Crowley, who is a demon, and Aziraphael, who is an angel, end up together at the crucifixion disguised as humans.
Crowley sidles up to his angelic counterpart as the nails are being driven into Jesus and asks:
“What was it he said that got everyone so upset?”
“Be kind to each other,” replies Aziraphael.
“Oh yeah,” says the demon, “That’ll do it.”
That’s absurd! It does’t make sense. Or at least, it shouldn’t make sense. And yet Crowley’s right.
There does seem to be something in the human heart that makes us angry - angry to the point of murder - when it comes to those who call on us to be kind… to practice an unfailingly just, radically inclusive, and unendingly generous way of life… those who call on us to truly love our neighbor without exception.
We see it in our story this morning. We see it all around us right now. And frankly it is as jarring for me to read about this kind of behavior back then as it is for me to witness it right now. I have to say that every time I read this story, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly this whole interaction goes off the rails for what appears to be no good reason at all.
Jesus is back in his home town of Nazareth. He’s been invited to read from the scroll of Isaiah and again, it’s all good news if you ask me.
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
According to Luke: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.”
So far so good, but then, out of nowhere, Jesus harshes everyone’s vibe by assuming all they want is for him to preform miracles for them but he’s not going to because he already knows they’re not going to respect him even if he does - so there! - because no prophet is respected in their hometown. Then, adding injury to insult, he dredges up some ancient history about these 2 times when God did preform miracles through Elijah and Elisha, but they saved gentiles instead of Jews at a time when the Jews needed God as much if not more than anyone else.
What the heck, Jesus? Honestly, I’d be angry too if I were them. It would appear that Jesus is being obnoxious for no good reason. Not so obnoxious that he deserves to be thrown off a cliff, but unnecessarily obnoxious all the same. Which makes me think there must be some other way to read this text.
And there is, but fair warning, this is a little technical and requires knowledge of ancient Greek. So buckle buttercup and try to follow me if you can.
“All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth,” can also be translated: “And all were talking amongst themselves about him and were astounded (and not necessarily in a good way) astounded over the words of favor coming out of his mouth…” (Thanks to D. Mark Davis at https://leftbehindandlovingit.blogspot.com/ for help with this translation and interpretation).
They were astounded by Jesus reading of Isaiah because it was clear from his sermon that those words of favor were not just meant for them - for Jesus and the people closest to him - the people of his faith and his homeland.
But instead, according to Jesus, this prophecy was meant to be read as words of favor for all people of every land; even the sick, the poor, and the imprisoned in foreign lands.
Well, they didn’t like that idea. I mean it’s one thing to preach good news to our poor, provide health care for our people, set our captives free, but everyone else’s? You’ve got to be kidding me.
They didn’t like the idea of other countries emptying their asylums and prisons, sending their poor, tired, huddled masses yearning to breathe free, in their direction one bit. And honestly, can you blame them?
Here they are, barely scraping by as it is in the richest, most powerful empire on the planet. They have more debt than they can handle, enough of their own sick to care for, and plenty of their own people in prison.
And then Jesus comes along and says: “The Day of the Lord is at hand,” the day you and your people have waited for, only this day isn’t just about you.
Just when you thought your national nightmare was going to be over and God was going to make Israel great again, it turns out that God isn’t just coming to bless you, but coming to bless all people through you.
The people of Nazareth are understandably angry but even more than that, I think they are afraid. I think they are afraid that if all these people are going to blessed that there won’t be enough blessing to go around.
I think they’re afraid that letting more people into the club will mean that they get pushed out and lose whatever privilege they have left.
They’re afraid to give these other people a foothold lest they take, break, or change what they think of as rightfully theirs.
All of which leaves them unable and unwilling to show even a hint of grace or love or mercy to any of these folks because they are afraid that doing so will make them vulnerable. And here’s the kicker: they’re not wrong.
Although I believe this is the way we are called to live, living in the way of of Jesus does make us vulnerable. Sharing all we have been blessed with, trusting in God’s abundance, pouring out our power for the sake of others, and loving our neighbor as ourselves is hard.
Welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, doing the work of liberation and restorative justice is harder still.
And hardest of all is forgiving as we have been forgiven, loving our enemies, turning the other check, doing good to those who try and take advantage of us, and blessing those who persecute us.
I can judge others who fail to live in the way of Jesus all day long, but the truth is that I fail to live in the way of Jesus everyday too.
So who am I to judge the people of Nazareth? I get that as God’s chosen people, as the people of Jesus’ hometown, they were ready: ready to be vindicated, ready for the world to know that God was on their side, ready to be back on top, ready for a little preferential treatment, thank you very much. Ready, for once, to feel safe, secure, and free.
But rather than mollify them Jesus doubles down and reminds them that God’s blessing is never limited to the ones God has chosen. Remember how Elijah cared for the widow of Zarepath in Sidon - a gentile - and how Elisha cured the leper Naaman in Syria. God’s blessing isn’t just meant to rest on you.
God’s blessing is meant to flow through you to sustain and cure those around you, even your enemies, because -spoiler alert - God loves them too.
Since the time of Abraham, to be blessed by God has come with the mandate to be a blessing…a blessing to all the nations. God’s blessing is meant to be poured out on others but most especially the other.
The day of the Lord comes, says Jesus, with abundance and healing and mercy for all. Your job, as those closest to God, chosen by God, most aligned and aware of God’s heart, is to be the conduit of this blessing, not it’s sole beneficiaries.
Children of God you are chosen to be, not the repository of God’s blessing, but the people through whom God blesses the world. Only then will you know the fullness of this blessing, because until all people are fully free and safe and secure, no one will ever be fully free and safe and secure.
And you know what? They didn’t want this kind of blessing back then anymore than a whole lot of people want it right now. The question before us this morning is, do we?
***
Friends, it is terrifying to witness all the things this administration is doing right now, and the fact that it is in any way, shape, or form associated with Christianity breaks my heart.
I’d list the offenses, but who has the time? What I will say is that none of it - not the treatment of immigrants, the cut off of aid to the poor, the demonizing and demeaning rhetoric, the obsession with retribution, the erasure of people’s identity, the whitewashing of history…. Ok there I go listing and I said I wouldn’t do that…
What I need to say is that none of that aligns with the heart or the teachings of Jesus.
You and I know that. In fact, I think we are blessed to know that.
So what will we do with this blessing?
Will we let our fear of this administration and the people who support them make us murderously angry, or will we find it in our hearts to bless those who persecute us and the ones we love?
Will we pray for them? Which doesn’t mean condoning their actions but can very much mean praying that they have a change of heart.
In a country where people believe that their safety and security rests on dominance and exclusion, are we willing to bless them by being brave enough to show them that there is another way? Even if that way becomes outlawed?
Are we willing, like Bishop Budde, to stand up for the most vulnerable and do the work of opposing hatred without becoming hateful ourselves?
In a country where people are acting out of fear, are we willing to meet them where they are and really listen? Are we willing to take their fears seriously, challenge harmful narratives when possible, and do our part to stay engaged in meaningful dialogue and relationship?
If we believe that mercy, generosity, and inclusivity are part of God’s vision for this world, are we willing to extend of love and grace toward those people we disagree with? Can we find ways to welcome and work with people we have good reason to believe are only here to take and break and change everything we hold dear?
That sounds impossible. I already feel like we are way too vulnerable. But how can I judge others for not rising above such fears, if I can’t find the courage to do that myself?
***
Friends, sometimes being blessed means freely sharing the wealth and good things you have been given, and sometimes it means witnessing in word and deed to the blessing of the truth you have been given - even if people will hate you for it and turn on you for it the same way they turned on Jesus and all those with the courage to truly follow in his way.
Living according to the blessing of your convictions is hard. Martin Luther King Jr., Fanny Lou Hammer, Colin Kapernick, Bishop Budde, just to name a few - their lives are and were blessed to be a blessing - but that blessing didn’t not necessarily equate with ease or abundance or protection from harm.
“Blessed are you,” said Jesus, “when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me (Matthew 5:11).
First Churches, people of God, my siblings in Christ, may we find the courage to be truly blessed. Amen.
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