O Lord,
you have taught us that without love
whatever we do is worth nothing.
Without love,
whatever we do is worth nothing.
That’s the full circle
of the text we hear from Luke today
and it ties in nicely
with the psalm too.
Last week we heard
Luke’s version of the beatitudes
which aren’t just about hungering and thirsting
for righteousness sake
but about the hungry and thirsty.
In Luke they’re followed by woes,
warnings
to those who are rich and full now.
That’s a theme begun in Luke 1,
in the Magnificat,
Mary’s song.
Jesus continues this teaching today,
and in some ways adds some shading to it.
Arguably the crux of it is
“Do to others as
you would have them do to you.”
The golden rule.
The axiom that’s so easy for a seventh grader
to turn into
“Well, it’s what he’s doing to me,
so it must be what he wants
me to do to him.”
Unfortunately for seventh grade me,
Jesus unpacks, elaborates, and refines
the simplicity of the axiom
without making it more complex.
Without love,
whatever we do is worth nothing
the collect for today says.
“If you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
If you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive,
what credit is that to you?”
Jesus’ talk of loving enemies
is always difficult to hear,
especially if we’re taking him at his word.
That seventh grader lets out a bratty
“But I don’t wanna.”
As the current political forces
keep trying to erase trans people
literally erasing them from government websites
including the Stonewall memorial
and winnowing away
references to any kind of diversity
despite the ways that women,
and people of color,
and so many minority groups
have contributed so much
to the American ideal.
it’s really, really hard to hear,
“love your enemies,
do good,
and lend,
expecting nothing in return.”
We have it modeled for us in Genesis
where Joseph has gotten to a high place of power
and receives his brothers.
That high place of power
can’t hurt, though.
The psalmist offers us assurance:
Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
For they shall soon wither like the grass,
and like the green grass fade away.
“How soon, God?!”
has been a refrain of the church
since the first century.
“How long, O Lord?”
has been a cry of God’s people
from before Jesus came
to take away the sin of the world.
The hatred and vitriol that surround us
are astonishing,
especially if we take the speakers
at their word.
Countless writers can point out
how selecting populations to blame
for all of our problems
is a prelude
to what has happened before
throughout human history.
Are we sure Jesus knows what he’s talking about
as he tells us to love our enemies
bless those who curse us,
and pray for those who abuse us.
Yes.
Resoundingly yes.
I had a host of problems
with both of Marianne Williams’
presidential campaigns –
personally, politically, and as a priest
theologically.
Her centering love
was not one of them
and it appealed to many.
Without love,
whatever we do is worth nothing.
In First Corinthians Paul says
that without love what we say
may as well be a noisy gong
or a clanging cymbal.
Jesus’ call to his disciples today
notice how he starts
“I say to you that listen” –
this is for those
who’ve already decided to follow him –
isn’t just do better on our own.
Whenever Jesus gives ethical direction
it’s never
just do better on our own.
He knows we can’t,
and Jesus doesn’t want us to just keep trying.
That’s the thing about grace and mercy.
They’re not really from us,
that’s part of our human brokenness.
When Jesus tells us to love our enemies
bless those who curse us,
and pray for those who abuse us,
he’s reiterating what the psalmist says:
Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
In these challenges,
and in these challenging times,
Jesus is inviting us to be like God –
and reminding us of God’s goodness.
People being evil
sucks.
Feeling helpless in the face of it
can be paralyzing and heartbreaking.
We can say of ourselves
“We’re not as bad as them” –
and any Christian group
can define “them” in a way that suits them –
yet we’re not perfect.
In the midst of our imperfection
God still loves us.
The Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail regularly says
“God didn’t make us to hate us.”
That’s right.
And Biblical writers
to make a point about how far we stray
from loving God and loving our neighbor
sometimes call us enemies of God.
And God still loves us!
I think I forget sometimes
to just reflect on that reality
and sit with it beyond saying the words.
God loves us.
The creator of the universe
knows us each by name
and has counted the hairs on our heads
or chins
and loves us.
That’s the thing about grace and mercy.
They’re not really from us,
that’s part of our human brokenness.
I long for God’s justice.
Part of that
is looking forward
to my own purgation.
Some of that happens
in loving my enemies
and praying for those who abuse
those on the margins.
Praying for their hearts to be changed.
Praying for my heart to be changed
that I might show greater love
and that I might have the courage and strength
to work for material change.
Jesus’ teachings today
aren’t about looking the other way
or taking an easy way out.
In calling us to love our enemies
bless those who curse us,
and pray for those who abuse us,
Jesus is calling for nothing less
than changing the world,
through God the source of all love.
O Lord,
you have taught us that without love
whatever we do is worth nothing.
Amen.