Go and sin no more

 John 8:1-8 (9-11) is the Gospel Lectionary text for Lent V on next Sunday.

Jesus was teaching all the people at the Temple.  The Chief Priests and Pharisees had been questioning His authority and teachings.  They were threatened by Jesus because of His message of Good News, something they could not twist for their own benefit or refute.

Now Scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in the act of adultery.  They made her stand before all the people, and they announced what she had done.  Where was the man?  First of all, women had no power or status in that time and place.  They were often victimized because men did have all the power and status.  So, these men were looking out for one of their own - perhaps another man, perhaps even one of them?  If she was caught in adultery, why was not HE caught in adultery?  Why was HE not standing before this crowd, being accused of scandalous acts?  The system was rigged against women by men.  These men were working under a system that benefitted them, and they used it to further abuse this woman and others.

So, now they had a very clear-cut case of the Law and condemnation.  They were chomping at the bit to throw the book at her.  Isn't that just the case, though?  We love to point out others' sins, even publicly shame them for their sins, assume the worst and get all punitive about how they should be treated.  We get very black and white when it comes to someone else's sins, while judging them.  We get all Law and Order on others when they have done something wrong, and we love to see them get what's coming to them.  When it is us, not so much, because we know that we are good people who just did something wrong. But THOSE PEOPLE, when they do something wrong it is just proof that they are BAD PEOPLE.  A young pastor who spoke to an AMERICA'S PRIDE rally in Pittsburgh years ago, said, "We tend to judge ourselves by our intentions, while judging others by their behaviors." When we, or one of us does something wrong, we call it a mistake.  When someone else, or one of those people does something wrong, it just proves our prejudices against them.

Jesus saw what they were doing.  He knew the Law, He knew how it was being used to abuse women and He knew what God wanted, as He said, "Mercy, instead of sacrifice."  His answer cut through all the pretense, all the unequal treatment, all the underhandedness and all the testing of Him by these corrupt religious leaders who were threatened by Him.  "Let the one who has not sinned throw the first stone."  

Maybe Jesus was talking about this particular sin of adultery.  He may have known more about these particular Scribes and Pharisees than we know.  Maybe Jesus was referring generally to sin.  Either way, it is a moment of looking at oneself regarding sin.  If I am ready to get all mercilessly punitive with someone else who sins, do I not have the same thing coming to me?  As Anthony Campolo said, "I know what I deserve.  Give me Grace, baby, I need Grace."  And, quite simply, who am I to judge?  I may not be a corrupt religious leader who twists the Word of God into a weapon with which to punish other people and keep them under my heel, but I am still a sinner, am I not?  One of Jesus' more clear Imperatives for us is, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Forgive, and you shall be forgiven."  Do I know who I am?  Do I see my own sin and need for God's Grace?  If so, should I not apply the same need for Grace and Forgiveness to my sister or brother, and apply their right to have it applied to their lives?   I am not God.  I am not Jesus.  Jesus alone, from what I have read, is to be judge of the living and the dead.  Who am I to want blood when someone else sins?  "There but for the Grace of God go I!"

They slinked away to regroup and come at Jesus another day.  The woman stood there alone.  Jesus simply said to her that those who had condemned her were gone.  He stated that He did not condemn her.  He told her to go her way and not sin again.  She, too, was a sinner.  No better or worse than those who would have stoned her to death.  She could do better in her life.  So can we all.  Jesus encouraged her to strive to do better.

Sin is a breach of covenant with God and/or Neighbor.  It is a betrayal of trust.  Sin does damage to loving relationships.  "We have ALL sinned and fall short of the glory of God," wrote Paul.  Therefore, we are "saved by Grace through Faith apart from works of the Law," wrote Paul.  "We have all received Grace upon Grace," we read in this very Gospel of John.

Now, if we have all sinned and have all received Grace, should we not be willing to GIVE IT to one another and others who are not less or more sinful than are we?  Jesus, quoting Isaiah informs us, as we have witness in Matthew's Gospel, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice."  Let us be people of Jesus' Way - people of Grace and Love, not of mercilessly punitive judgment, lest that be the sin for which WE are not forgiven.

We are nearing the end of our Lenten journey for this year.  Our time specifically set aside for self-examination, repentance and self-sacrifice for the sake of others.  What have we learned so far?  How have we been changed so far this year?  Are we more loving and less judgmental?  Are we more Gracious and less intolerant?  Are we more like Jesus in how we live, and less like our sinful selves apart from Jesus?  Are we more likely to Forgive than to punish?  Are we more loving of Neighbor as self, even if Neighbor has sinned?

"Let the one without sin cast the first stone."

The Lost Ones

 

Luke 15:1-3; 11b-32 is the Gospel lectionary text for Lent IV, next Sunday.

 This is Grace.  We may not like it when it is given to others who we deem “undeserving,” but that is precisely the point of it – undeserved loving-mercy given freely.  We certainly appreciate it when we receive it, knowing that we are not deserving, but also knowing of our need for it.

 When we walk away from God, there are consequences.  It may feel like freedom and independence at first, but what we are missing is not just a safety net for our over-indulgences, but the connection to one who is our resource for life itself.  God is everything.  God is life and God is love.  God is the source of joy and peace.  God is all things.  Separating ourselves from God does not bring liberation in life, but bondage to a life without the source of life and all that is possible in it.

 We have walked away from God in empire.  We have given our devotion to the god of self, and have over-indulged not only our egos, but also our immediate gratification, our baser passions, our childish oppositional rebellions, our hatefulness and our desire to be all things for ourselves and others around us.  We have charged off to follow the gods of self – greed, lust for power, desire for status and hatred.  We have taken God’s love and grace and run with it, trying to keep it for ourselves and necessarily withhold it from others.  We have re-created a world that divides people, damages the lives of others and destroys community because of our focus on self.  Empire does that.

 What we have walked away from is life with the source of life, love, joy and peace.  We have walked away from our place in community, our responsibility to others, our mental and spiritual health, our comfort and accountability from being in relationships of love and grace.  What we have walked away from is God’s Way in Jesus – the way of Agape Love and Grace.  We have also walked away from helping to maintain a sustainable way in life for ourselves, others around us and the creation of which we are a part and upon which we depend.  We have walked away from the one who is wholly other, the only true God, to try and be our own gods, flawed, self-serving and destructive to all around us and within.

 We are the prodigals. 

Many of us are also the ones who have stayed in relationship and have striven to continue the work of the Good News of Jesus in the world.  We say we believe in Grace and the Way of Agape Love, so we have continued to live in relationship with the Source and with one another, and we continue to follow the Way. 

 But when the prodigals come home, and many of them, I pray will come home, how will we receive them?  Will we welcome them home with open arms, as does the Source?  Will we celebrate their return and recognize that their lessons have been learned the hard way, and thank God that we did not go that way?  Will we open our hearts and lives to them again, or will we begrudge God’s Grace because we hold a grudge against them for their arrogant venture into unfaithfulness?  Will we hold it against them forever and use it whenever we can to punish them for the damage they did to our world, to the church, to the community and to many of us individually?

 Perhaps the answer lies in how they come back.  Perhaps, if they come with a confession and in humility, asking to come back without special recognition of any kind, we will welcome them back with open arms and engage in restorative justice, re-building the relationships and the world together.  Or, perhaps we will then be the ones who wander from the Way, and exhibit the same prideful ego, belief in entitlement and privilege and justifications for abuse that they did.  We will be the ones addressed by God to repent – change our thinking so that our direction changes. 

 Clearly, the only one in this parable we are NOT is God.

Manure

 

Luke 13:1-9 is the Gospel Lectionary text for Lent III  

 Some Galileans were slain by Pilate while sacrificing in the Temple.  That would be big news under a people oppressed by a horrendously vicious force.  Jesus also pointed out that eighteen died when a tower fell on them.  He used this to talk about sin.  First, Jesus pointed out that they were no worse sinners than the people bringing this to Him.  I believe there is also a lesson here in quelling the idea that God pulls strings or pushes buttons to make things happen to specific people in the world.  Jesus used it as an opportunity to call them to repent, pointing out that it could happen to them, for those referred to perished suddenly and unexpectedly, particularly without being ready or perhaps right with God.  And, as is frequently true in the Gospels, Jesus told a parable to underscore the message.

 This is the manure story.  A fig tree did not produce for three years, and the owner wanted it cut down.  The gardener convinced him to dig around it, put manure on it and see if it produced the following year, before cutting it down.

 God gives us every opportunity for growth and to produce good fruit in the world.  If we are not producing good fruit in the world around us, we are not doing what God has planted us here to do.  It would seem that God may be of two minds here.  On the one hand, the vineyard owner wants good fruit to be produced and when it is not, he is ready to cut down the tree.  On the other hand, the gardener (Jesus?  The Holy Spirit?  Abraham with God over Sodom and Gomorrah?) says, “Let me work on this a little bit and give it some time, and maybe it will come around.  If not, then cut it down.”

 The point is repentance.  Now is the time for repentance.  Life is short and things happen to us.  Life is finite, and we do not know how long we have.  We can see that as a threat if we want, that perhaps we will either intentionally be killed or accidently die, and that we have no control over that. We need to see that we need to be right with God because of that, or we can see it as an opportunity to do the right thing here and now.  We need to work at it, do what it takes and change our thinking and direction.

 As an individual, I need to be mindful of my sinfulness and repent of those things that cause harm to my sisters and brothers in the world, because they cause harm to my relationship with God.

 As the church, we need to be mindful of our sinfulness and repent of those things that cause harm to our sisters and brothers in the world, because they cause harm to our relationship with God.

 As a nation, we need to be mindful of our sinfulness and repent of those things that cause harm to our sisters and brothers in the world, because they cause harm to our relationship with God.

 As a world, we need to be mindful of our sinfulness and repent of those things that cause harm to our sisters and brothers in the world, because they cause harm to our relationship with God.

 Right now.

Our time may be short.  We do not know how long we have on this planet.

We do not know how long the planet has.

All we have is right now, so we need to repent – change our thinking so that our direction changes to be in alignment with God’s Will.  We need to stop doing those things that hurt the creation of God and the people of God right now.

Each of us, all of us.

Now.

A Time to Mourn

 

Luke 13:31-35 is the lectionary Gospel text for Lent II, on next Sunday.

 Jesus was a threat to Empire and all those who participated in Empire, including religious leaders who had sold their souls to hold onto some power over people, wealth and status.  People were struggling to survive, and that brings out the best in some and the worst in others.  Some of the Pharisees were clearly down with empire and its values, even twisting their teachings to encourage the greed, abuses of power and status above others to accommodate their way of life.  These Pharisees were evidently at least sympathetic to Jesus’ cause.  When particularly Christian believers start painting all Jews in this time and place through their bigoted stereotypes, it is important to remember that Jesus is a Jew and that His followers and others sympathetic to Jesus’ Way were Jewish as well. 

 These Pharisees warned Jesus to leave the place where He was because Herod, also threatened by Jesus’ message, wanted to do away with Jesus as he did with John.  Jesus sent word back to Herod to let him know what Jesus’ itinerary was.  He was going to Jerusalem.  He still had people’s lives to touch and restore for a couple days, and then He was on to Jerusalem to fulfill His mission.  Jesus was coming to Herod.  The showdown was going to happen.  Jesus offered Herod His intent – to die in Jerusalem as the prophet of God.

 Then Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, as a mother for an impossibly wayward child.  Taking on feminine imagery as God, Jesus calls out Jerusalem for her history of rejecting God’s messengers, and reiterates God’s whole desire to gather God’s children together with God in Jesus.  The people said, “No.”  So, now their house is left to them, empty of God.  Then Jesus predicted that Jerusalem, God’s holy city, would not see God again until she could say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”  That is born out in Luke’s later chapters.

 When the people say, “No,” there is nothing left to do.  You can offer what is wise, what is sane, what is sustainable, what is intelligent, what is reasoned, what is faithful, what is helpful and what is moral, but the people may say, “No.”  We are in such a time.  Empire, this iteration in our own nation coming to fruition since 1981, rises and twists ideologies, theologies and practices to suit its love for its gods, and thus creates a climate of abuse, exploitation and false superiority for the few and the victimization, oppression and demoralization, even destruction of the many.  Autocrats increasingly rule.  Economic systems still function to benefit the few at the expense of the many.  Position and prestige come for being the most ruthless and intolerant among us.  The Good News of Jesus came into such a time.  The Good News of Jesus is still with us in this time.

 But just as in that time, when the people say, “No,” there is little more to do than lament over their own destruction and that of everyone around them.  They had the Word given to them, even in the Word made Flesh who dwelt among them, and they still said, “No.”  Pointing out what faithfulness, wisdom and hopefulness are in this climate only brings cries to “kill the messenger.”  Jesus came to teach and show God’s children God’s way, and the way out of the despair that they had suffered for two generations under empire.  Many of the people followed Jesus and believed.  Many of them remained faithful to the Good News Way of Jesus until empire coopted their movement by joining it and changing its whole focus.  Others, who gave their loyalty to the gods of empire, rejected the Way of Jesus because it did not sound like the established norms of empire and therefore would not get them more wealth, power or status for themselves.  And they had to conspire to kill the messenger, because He threatened to expose the unsustainable insanity of their way, and thus rally enough people to say, “NO” to empire itself.

 It is time for lamenting, my sisters and brothers.  The Good News of Jesus has been coopted by the church of empire in this nation and across the world, so that the Kingdom values of Jesus have been dismissed as unrealistic, flawed and even communistic.  The people are saying “no” across the world to Democracy as well as the message of Jesus.  Empire is having its way in the world again, or still. 

 It is time for lamenting, my sisters and brothers.  This nation has fallen under empire’s horrible spell, including our political and economic and religious leaders.  The people have been led to believe in empire’s hateful, selfish gods, and that they will give them what they want.  It does not matter that most of them are truly victims of empire, because they have been duped into believing otherwise.  They have said, “No” to Jesus’ Way.

 It is time for lamenting, my sisters and brothers.  But what did Jesus do after this lament?  He still healed and restored lives.  He went to speak truth to power, even knowing it would mean the Cross.  He called them out, made fun of empire in His triumphal entry, overturned their money tables in the Temple of God, told them how little they truly knew about power, forgave them and willingly died for them.  Even after we see the writing on the wall, and after all the signs of the storm have been witnessed, even knowing what is inevitable, still those who would be faithful in following Jesus must heal and restore the lives of others to the last, proclaim the truth of the Kingdom to the last and go to the Cross.

 To quote my favorite Christian song writer and performer, Ken Medema, “Come down with me to the weapin’ tree and cry with me a while.”  It is time for lamenting, my sisters and brothers.  We may lament over what could have been all we want, but the work is not yet done. So, we lament AND go to Jerusalem, to the Cross.

 

Forty Days

Luke 4:1-13 is the lectionary Gospel text for Lent I on next Sunday, March 6.

 It all starts with temptation, doesn’t it?  The temptation to put pleasure or comfort above what is right, the temptation to give up one’s principles for wealth, power and status and the temptation to manipulate God into special favor, just to see if God really cares about us are still the temptations we have away from a faithful life with God and neighbor.

 Jesus went through our temptation.  He was tempted.  It doesn’t say that the devil tried to tempt Him.  He was tempted by the devil.  After being physically deprived, hungry and weak, He was tempted to give in and provide for Himself that which would satisfy his belly.  Jesus chose to complete His spiritual discipline instead.

 Jesus was tempted to declare all to be His in the world.  The wealth, power and status were all laid out before Him.  Nothing would have been out of His reach.  He would be set.  He could have absolute power to rule over others, even to do good if He chose to do so.  He could have infinite wealth and do with it as He pleased.  He could have had fame, everyone’s ear and heart, and be lauded for being #1 in all things worldly.  Jesus chose to stay in humble form, struggle to feed Himself and His disciples and address abusive power instead.

 Jesus was tempted to test God’s love for Him.  If God really loved Him, God would intervene on His behalf.  God would want Jesus to get rich quick, have control over others in the world and be lifted up as a celebrity, unquestionably loved.  If God really loved Jesus, God would not send Him on this mission to the Cross, but rather just supernaturally appear and declare all things fulfilled.  The Temple in Jerusalem was the Holy place.  Certainly, God would act there to usher in the Kingdom through Jesus and for once and all time bring about utopia for all of God’s people.  Jesus chose to stay the course prescribed for Him, even to abandonment on the Cross.

 The tempter came with it.  It must have been sorely tempting to do away with all the nonsense and just take what Jesus could take for Himself.  It would be the easy way.  He had all power, all knowledge and all presence at His disposal.  Why not?

 Because of what the devil said twice to Jesus, He did not.  “If you are the Son of God,” stuck in Jesus’ mind.  It was a dare, to be sure, to prove that He is God’s Son.  Many are tempted to prove that they are children of God by speaking in tongues, quoting scripture, having the right social or political views and believing what the preachers say in complete submission to them.  Many are tempted to believe that their being children of God gives them some entitlement to a comfortable life, worldly pleasures, wealth and power, and even status above others who are not the proven faithful.  Many are tempted to test God to see if God will bless them more and favor them more highly.  But it is not about that at all, and Jesus was spiritually strengthened in His wilderness time of fasting and prayer.  Jesus valued the Will of God and the Kingdom Way that God sent Jesus to teach and model for all humanity.

 The Kingdom is not about worldly values.  Jesus came to teach, command and model Agape Love and Grace for one another, shared power in community, shared resources in the world, and equal status and value among all people.  That takes giving up some comfort and pleasure.  It takes valuing the Ways of the Kingdom above the ways of the world.  It takes trusting God’s presence and power in love for ALL people, including oneself, equally.

 Jesus was tempted.  He was tempted to give in to the ways and values of the world, as prescribed by the devil.  We are tempted with the same things, daily.  Under Empire, the evil worldly values of Greed, lust for Power and desire for Status drive people apart, hold people down and destroy lives.  God’s Kingdom values in Agape Love and Grace draw people together, lift people up and sustain life, life abundant and life forever.

 We are in the wilderness of Lent.  We are being tempted to give in to Empire’s values and ways.  Lent is not about giving up chocolate or desserts, meat or anything else.  It is about a deeper walk with God in the living of Kingdom values here and now, living the Agape Love and Grace of Jesus and the spiritual discipline of doing so until it becomes a way of life for those who follow Jesus, even to the Cross.  We have 40 days, a long time to devote ourselves to the Way of Kingdom, the Will of God anew, even as we follow the one who showed us how to not give into the temptations of the world around us, but instead remain faithful to God.  We have 40 days to repent – change our thinking so that our direction in how we live our lives will change.  We have 40 days to put our spiritual selves above our physical selves, and resist the temptations of the world.  We have 40 days, on our way to the Cross, where the ultimate act of self-less, unconditional Agape Love was made for us. 

It all becomes clear to me now

 

 Luke 9:28-37 is the Gospel text for Transfiguration Sunday, February 27

 This account holds many meanings, I believe.  All of them are pointed to the Cross of Jesus. 

 Jesus took three of His closest disciples with Him, those who had been with Him since the first day.  Three witnesses provide a true witness in that time and culture, and then some.  Luke’s Gospel wants us to know that this is an authoritative account of Jesus and God in Jesus.

 Jesus’ appearance changed.  His face and His clothing were luminescent.  Something dramatic was happening in and through Jesus in this moment, and whatever it was manifested in some very apparent ways.  Does the writer have your attention yet?

 Now, enter Moses and Elijah.  These young Jewish men knew Moses and Elijah.  Moses, the Law and Agitator of Emperors, the deliverer of the oppressed and speaker with God was with Jesus.  Elijah, the Prophets and confronter of corrupt leaders, truth-teller to the powers that be and persecuted servant of God for doing it was with Jesus.  They represented God’s leadership to God’s people for generations.  They represented God’s authority on earth, until this moment.

 In Luke’s Gospel, it is specified that they spoke to Jesus about what He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.  The Agitator, Deliverer was now Jesus.  The confronter of corruption and truth-teller was now Jesus, and He was about to be the persecuted servant of God.  They passed the mantle to Jesus, punctuated by God’s own voice declaring that Jesus is the chosen authority now, even in the face of Moses and Elijah, and that the people of God should listen to HIM.  When this was pronounced, Moses and Elijah were no longer on the scene.  Jesus is God’s authority, God’s voice and God’s activity in the lives of God’s people.  He IS the Law and Prophets, and much more.

 Now, the reaction of Peter and the two brothers was predictable.  Out of reverence and awe, they wanted it to be a worship moment.  That was even before God’s voice was heard!  They wanted to bask in the vicarious greatness of Moses and Elijah and Jesus on the mountain, and stay there, even perhaps forever.  But that could not be.  The next line is critical.  “When they had come down from the mountain…” says it all.  This Good News is not meant to be cloistered in and soaked in by a few followers in spiritual ecstasy.  Their witness about that spiritually ecstatic moment was not even to be shared!  No.  They had to come down from the physical and metaphoric mountain to be with the people.  The crowd was waiting, as was the world.  There was work to be done.  Jesus had to be about the business of fulfilling God’s Will of Law and Prophets, Agitation and Deliverance.  He had to speak the truth to power, confront corruption and yes, be persecuted on behalf of God’s children.  The mission was not on the Mountain.  The mission was in the world.

 The Good News of Jesus is not meant to be kept in a “brick and mortar” box, and opened only in the comforting, moving or even ecstatic experiences of worship.  It is meant to be lived in the world to transform the world through a kind of love that the world has not seen apart from it, and which the world most needs.  The world needs the Good News of Jesus to confront the bad news of empire and offer God’s different and better way.  The world needs the Good News of Jesus to agitate those who abuse their power, to speak truth in spite of their lies and confront the corruption of those who only want good things for themselves.  The world needs the Good News of Jesus to transform hearts and minds and thus deliver us from evil and the fruits of evil in the world around us.  The world needs the Good News of Jesus that God loves us so much, that God’s only Son, the beloved, was chosen to teach us a better way – God’s Kingdom way – and die for us to deliver us from Hell on earth and Hell forever.

 If the announcements of Jesus in His hometown synagogue and sermon on the plain did not clarify what the mission of Jesus is in the world according to Luke’s Gospel, this should clear it up.  Jesus is ALL of God’s Word for the World, the Logos made flesh, who has dwelt among us to provide God’s Good News of a better way for us in this part of God’s Kingdom, here and now, and to die in order to take sin’s evil to its death with Him.

 It all comes down to this moment, but really to what will happen next, as Jesus goes to the Cross.  Let’s go with Him this Lenten season and usher in His Good News as our new way of living in this part of God’s Kingdom, here and now.

If you want things to be different...

 

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