division...

Luke 12:49-56     lectionary text for August 18

Jesus brought a baptism of immersion into God's Kingdom values of living Agape Love.
It demands that we live not only for ourselves but for others, even stranger and enemy, and especially the most vulnerable among us.
It requires dedication to God and neighbor.  It requires humility and a heart of the other, compassion and empathy.  It requires that we be grateful for having enough and that we give from our abundance for others to have enough.  It requires that we share power with others so that all may have what they need.  It requires that we not only look to our own desires, needs and well-being, but that we must look to the well-being of all around us.

Aye, there's the rub.

We live within empire that requires dedication to wealth, power and status.
It requires that we put ourselves over everyone else around us.
It requires that we get all we can for ourselves and our own.
It requires that we gain and exercise more power to pull ourselves over others and take all we can, even at their expense.
It requires that we seek to promote ourselves as being better than, more entitled than and more elite than others around us.

Thus we have the division.

The Gospel of Jesus produces division in this environment, because even those who confess a faith in Jesus have done so while embracing Empire values.  Their prosperity theology, church growth initiatives and intolerance of others while seeking notoriety are all indications of where their hearts lie and what they truly treasure.
It puts many who claim the name of Jesus at odds with Jesus and His Good News of Agape Love -
active commitment on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable, toward their well-being, completeness and wholeness (Shalom).
It has divided the church.
It has divided the nation.
It has divided families and friends.

Those who would claim Jesus as Savior must follow Jesus as Lord of their lives.
One cannot serve two masters (God and Mammon).
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Jesus calls you to deny yourself, take up the Cross and follow Jesus.

Forget pie in the sky when you die.  This is about here and now.
Jesus takes sides.  So must we.  Live Jesus' Way of Agape Love or live empire values.
    There is no middle path here, at least none that is faithful to God.

There are those who follow Jesus and Jesus' Way of Agape Love and those who follow empire.  Period.
Which way do you go?

And,
You who are always looking for signs - of God's presence, of God's favor, of God's blessings -
     signs of others' sins being punished, condemnation on those who are not like you -
     signs of the vision of the end that you have concocted in order to manipulate with fear -

You are MISSING the SIGNS,
    of what it means to suffer the consequences of following Empire ways and living its values,
    rather than living Agape love for God and Neighbor as commanded by God.

You are looking for supernatural interventions to save you, benefit you and promote you in the future,
    but are MISSING the SIGNS that you are walking away from God in how you live NOW.

Jesus' Way is the way of love for all, respect for all, equality for all, value for all, power for all,
   enough for all -  Shalom (well-being, completeness, wholeness) for ALL.
If that is not your way, see the signs that you are giving your devotion to empire, which is NOT God's
    Way.

With all this division and signs of a harsh future, in what is your hope?
Repentance - change your mind in order to turn to a different direction in your life.  Read the Gospel of Jesus and pay attention to what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for how to live in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.  If you want to be with Jesus, follow Jesus here and now.  Choose the right side of Agape Love and Grace, for the sake of God and Neighbor, here and now.

Choose wisely.

Pastor Jamie