Luke 6:27-38 is the Lectionary Gospel text for Epiphany VII.
Jesus
here describes how we behave under Empire until Kingdom comes. Until the hearts and minds of God’s people
have changed to see the wisdom, sustainability and glory of life together under
Kingdom, we must resist Empire at every turn.
If we are people of the Kingdom, we will live differently and see life
differently. We will also act
differently, so differently in fact, that it will seem strange to the
world. The world has been so heaped in
the values of Greed, lust for Power and desire for Status, that to act in a
loving fashion will seem like socially deviant behavior to the world. The world has been so adept at bigotry and
hatred, discrimination and exploitation, violence and abuse, that to live
otherwise will seem unnatural to the world.
In
the Kingdom, we love. We do not just
love those who love us or with whom loving will bring us a return somehow. We love strangers and enemies. If we want to stop hatred, we must show
something other than hatred. We must get
beyond our hatred and apathy to love those who hate us through our committed
actions even on their behalf. We must
bless those who curse us and not retaliate violence for violence, but defiantly
refuse to be violent and thus give a clear, strong alternative to the ways of
hatred. We must defiantly pay what is
owed to those who exploit and show the world that this is not a sustainable
way. We must also help those who have
been victimized by the systems of Empire that have destroyed their lives,
showing mercy and compassion for those who have been beaten down, held out and
pushed back by Empire and its adherents.
We must LIVE this Agape Love that we are commanded to live in order to
welcome Jubilee – God’s great turn-around in justice, equity and peace. We must do for others as we would wish it be
done for us, an empathy that is all but lost under Empire’s warped values.
Empire
is all about how we can benefit from others, even through manipulation and
exploitation. It is about being on top
or being next to those on top who have the wealth and power. It is about gaining some status with them in
order to rise above others in the hierarchical social stratosphere of dog eat
dog. It is about showing love for those
who can do something for us, doing good things for those who can benefit us and
giving to those who can give us a return on our investment. The Kingdom is all about committed action on
behalf of the other, even strangers and enemies and especially those who are most
vulnerable and in need. The Kingdom
calls us to live the values of the Kingdom – the values that will counter
Empire in every aspect of life. The
Kingdom calls us to resist Empire by living differently from it, so doing the
right things for the right reasons. Our
reward for doing so is the favor of God.
Our reward for doing so is that it makes us faithful children of the
Lord we say we love. Our reward is that
it makes us people who live in alignment with God’s values.
You
see, it is not about money or power or status.
It is about faithfulness. If we
emulate Jesus in our walk with God, we are being faithful. Just as God is merciful with us, so we are to
be merciful with others. Just as God is forgiving
of us, so we are to be forgiving of others.
If we judge, we will receive judgment.
If we refuse to forgive, we will not be forgiven. If we manipulate, exploit and abuse others around
us, we are participating in a set of values that run contrary to God’s values,
and we help sustain a world that is predatory and unsustainable. If we help others, give to others and lift
others up, we are participating in a set of values that are faithful to God and
God’s values. We cannot serve two
masters. We must choose how we will live
in the world, in every aspect of our lives.
If
we make money at the expense of others, exploiting them while holding them down
for our own gain, that is Empire and not Kingdom of God. If we gain positions of power so that we can
control others and force our will on them, that is Empire and not Kingdom of
God. If we build ourselves up to greatness
and notoriety by pushing others down, that is Empire and not Kingdom of
God. If we hate others and discriminate
against them because they are different from us, that is Empire and not the
Kingdom of God. Empire does not sustain
life. It destroys the lives of the many
for the unhealthy gain of the few, even ultimately destroying the planet for
them.
But
God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will being done will mean generosity, even if it
means our security is in God’s provision and not our own ruthless ability to
gain more than we need as our sisters and brothers struggle to survive. God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will being done
will mean we share power with others so that they can live their best lives and
thrive. God’s Kingdom come and God’s
Will being done will mean us lifting others up in humility and genuine
love. God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will
being done will mean us actively committing to the well-being of people we do
not know and those we do not like, because they need our committed action on
their behalf. Kingdom of God sustains
life. It builds up the lives that have
been broken down and gives all humanity a sustainable way to live and move in
the world.
So,
if you want Shalom, be about the things that make for Shalom. If you say that you love God, then you must
love your neighbor as yourself. If you
want a different world, live differently.
Resist the evils of Empire and live the truth and goodness and
faithfulness of God’s Kingdom. It really
IS that simple.
Pastor Jamie
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