“The Playbook”
Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40 and Luke 6:27-38
Good morning friends!
It is such a joy to be back in worship with you today as part of this year long celebration of one hundred years of ministry.
As I understand it, you’ve been spending these last several weeks remembering the abundance that Jesus brings to our lives…
An abundance of Hope…
Of healing…
Of purpose…
In a world that says there isn’t enough to go around and we should focus on me and mine…
Jesus sets a feast and pulls up chairs to the table.
There is always enough in the kingdom of God.
There is so much abundance we have to give it away.
I believe in these gospel truths.
And these gospel truths… these words of Christ…
are in direct opposition to the narrative of our state and country right now.
As a preacher, I am always cautious about partisanship from the pulpit,
but our call to discipleship has implications in the realm of politics.
And, when leaders claim to be acting out of a Christian point of view,
as disciples of Jesus Christ, we must have a space to name where these things are in conflict.
Just a few examples come to mind…
Vice President Vance claimed there is a Christian concept called “ordo amoris” that leads us to prioritize our family members first and then our community, over people outside of our circles or borders. This kind of theology justifies the dismantling of agencies like USAID and shuttering refugee resettlement, describing humanitarian assistance as wasteful.
It is such a distortion of the gospel that Pope Francis wrote a letter to the bishops of the United States clarifying that ordo amoris actually means we are called to elevate our love in Christ to love all, without exception.
The pope’s words are echoed our gospel lesson today:
“If you love those who love you, why should you be commended? Even sinners love those who love them… Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend expecting nothing in return.” (Luke 6:32, 35)
In the Kingdom of God, in the economy of Jesus, we don’t have limited love, food, or resources to share.
We are called to always keep our eyes focused on our Savior and called to love every person, without exception.
Or as John Wesley might put it…
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
Another example.
This week, the official White House account posted a video of people being deported and captioned it, “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight.”
As Rev. Michael Palmer wrote in response, “ASMR stands for “autonomous sensory meridian response” and refers to the deep relaxation and tingling sensation some people experience from specific triggers, such as sounds. The implication being that the sound of someone being chained and evicted from our country would create a feeling of deep relaxation and a giddy bodily response.”
According to the Geneva Conventions, governments are prohibited from making prisoners or civilians objects of public ridicule, humiliation, or tools of propaganda.
The dehumanization of groups of people leads to acts of violence and abuse…
which we have already seen in the story of the young girl in Texas who took her own life.
She was being bullied by students who threatened to call ICE on her parents.
No matter your politics or whether you think people who have entered the country outside of certain legal channels should be deported, we have a clear mandate in scripture for how we treat these individuals.
From our gospel today: “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you…Treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you.” (Luke 6: 27, 31)
Over and over and over again in scripture we hear the call to welcome the stranger and the immigrant.
Whether it is the gospel of Matthew (25:35), the letters to the Romans (12:13) and Hebrews (13:1-2), the writings of Moses in Deuteronomy (10:18-19) or Exodus (22:21), or the words of the prophets (Malachi 3:5, Job 31:32, Jeremiah 7:5-7):
“Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)
That is why as United Methodists, we include in our social principles the call to advocate for humane processes for migrants, immigrants, and refugees and to oppose all laws and policies that attempt to criminalize, dehumanize, or punish displaced individuals and families. (P 163, Basic Rights and Freedoms, G., 2020/2024 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church)
The abundance of God’s grace calls us to affirm the dignity, worth, and rights of all human beings.
One more example.
In Iowa, right now, HSB 242 has been proposed to erase the rights of our neighbors, friends, and family who are transgender or nonbinary.
It removes legal protections against discrimination in employment, access to housing, education, and more for nonbinary or transgender citizens and removes their ability to legally change their identification.
It also defines sex and gender as male or female,
as has been observed, or clinically verified within six months, at birth,
and claims separate accommodations are not inherently unequal…
which is language that justified Jim Crow laws.
It is part of the broader push in the state and nation to define gender in a strictly binary way and to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion supports and resources in public and private institutions.
From our gospel lesson today:
“Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned.” (Luke 6:36-37)
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul has harsh words for the community as it sought to judge those who were different.
They tried to make distinctions that would claim some were outside of the grace of God or concern of the community.
As he writes to them, “there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3: 28)
His words echo Genesis 1, which speaks of the beautiful, diverse goodness of all of God’s creation.
God created humanity in God’s own image, male and female, meaning every person reflects the image of God.
If some would point to that as proof of a binary distinction, how can we separate these words from the rest of the chapter?
God separated the light from the darkness… but also gave us dawns and dusks.
God separated the dry land from the waters… but also created the marshes and the bogs and the delta.
God made the birds of the air and the fish of the sea… but also created penguins – flightless birds that live in the ocean.
The beautiful diversity of what God has made is far more abundant than binary categories.
As United Methodists, we have long held that “because all people are of sacred worth and certain basic human rights are due to everyone, we are committed to supporting the equal rights, liberties, and protections of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity… moreover, because in many countries sexual and gender minorities are disproportionately impacted by social stigmas, discrimination, coercion and violence, we call on churches, governments, businesses, and civic organizations to do all in their power to combat such unjust treatment and to promote equal rights and protections for all.” (P 163, Basic Rights and Freedoms, I., 2020/2024 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church).
If you are paying attention, on a daily basis we are bombarded by political actions and news and stories that undermine the basic tenants of our Christian faith which call us to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
It is exhausting.
It is demoralizing.
It is heartbreaking.
And I have been wrestling with the words that frame this series you are engaging in right now here at Immanuel – it actually does feel like we are running out of hope and possibility because a couple of wedding guests are trying to steal all of the wine for themselves.
When I find myself spiritually in that place,
usually after scrolling through social media and news stories,
I find that I need to come back to a place of grounding in my faith.
I’ve been reflecting, with everything that is going on, on what might be a playbook for how we shall live in these days.
You know… I almost thought about this as “a playbook for resistance”
But someone recently reminded me that we are not called to be people who resist.
Resisting means to put up barriers,
but as people of faith who believe that the abundant love and grace of God is flowing through this world,
maybe our call instead is to be conduits and vessels for what God is already doing.
One place that I have turned frequently is to this little book:
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder.
Dr. Snyder is a historian who has focused on the history of Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust. His little book of lessons are pulled directly from the experiences of peoples who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, and communism.
It includes guidance like:
Lesson 4: Take responsibility for the face of the world. The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice … signs of hate. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.
Lesson 12: Make eye contact and small talk. This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust…
Lesson 15: Contribute to good causes. Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life. Pick a charity or two and set up autopay. Then you will have made a free choice that supports civil society and helps others to do good.
I hear his words echoed, from a faith perspective, in the lectionary for today – Psalm 37:
“Don’t get upset over evildoers… because they will fade fast, like grass.” (1)
“Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land, and farm faithfulness.” (3)
“Commit your way to the Lord!” (5)
“Let go of anger and leave rage behind! Don’t get upset – it will only lead to evil.” (8)
“The Lord loves justice. God will never leave the faithful all alone.” (28)
“The mouths of the righteous recite wisdom; their tongues discuss justice. The instruction of their God is in their hearts; they don’t miss a step.” (30)
“Observe those who have integrity and watch those whose heart is right because the future belongs to persons of peace.” (37)
The psalmist reminds us not to get ourselves worked up into a frenzy of the injustices of the world.
With such a constant barrage, it is natural for our fight, flight, or freeze responses to become activated.
But neither does the psalmist mean that we should stick our heads in the sand and ignore what is happening.
Instead, the call is to do good, to stand with integrity on our values, and focus on the positive differences you can make.
It is the call to not let our hearts be hardened, but to look for the places where people of faith are acting out of love and to join them.
It is the call to commit ourselves to the ways of God.
Dan White Jr wrote in Love Over Fear:
“When you live in Culture War Mode there is always a battle to fight, a side to take, and people to fear.
When you live in God’s Kingdom there’s always a stranger to welcome, a neighbor to befriend, and an enemy to love.”
As our gospel lesson teaches:
We are called to love our enemies.
To do good to those who hate us.
To bless those who might curse us.
Rather than fight back or resist when we are attacked, we are called to offer the other cheek.
I think that means that we stand firmly in the gospel of love and grace and hope,
which is abundant enough to sustain not only our own spirits…
but also to transform the hearts of the people who are seeking to harm us or the people we love.
Let me say that again…
We are a people who believe that the abundant grace and love of God is so powerful
That it is not only enough to sustain our own spirits in the midst of everything going on…
We believe the grace and love of God is deep enough, wide enough, strong enough, big enough, and powerful enough
to transform the hearts and minds and spirits of those whom we might call our enemies.
Our call, as people of faith, is to be conduits of that love and grace in the world.
Pray for our elected leaders.
Spend time with people face-to-face.
Find ways to support your neighbors who are being attacked through food, shelter, clothing, or contacting your legislators.
Pay attention to what is happening and reflect on whether it matches your values.
Spend time in God’s word and ask how it applies to your daily life.
Pick an issue you care about and work for change.
And through it all, let the abundant love and grace of God so fill your life
that in everything you do, you give it away…
even to those who you might think of as enemies.
Amen.
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