October 26, 2008
Rev. Alan Claassen
Matthew 22:34-40
The scribe asked Jesus, "Which commandment is the first of all?"
Unlike the Pharisees whom we discussed last week, who tried to trick Jesus with the question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”
there is no indication that the scribe in this week’s reading was trying to trap Jesus.
In their deep affection for the law, the scribes continually examined it from all sides as a jeweler would examine the facets of a precious diamond, always hoping to discover a treasure.
Working with 613 commandments, they would sometimes focus on one, dividing it into scores of rules tailored to particular situations. Coming from the other direction, they would try to summarize the whole of the law in one commandment or verse.
Thus Micah says, "…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).
Rabbi Hillel, asked to summarize the law while standing on one leg, had responded, "What you don’t want done to you, don’t do to your neighbor.
The Scribe is asking Jesus, the Rabbi, looking over all 613 commandments, which is most important?
Jesus replies, Love God with everything you have got. Love your neighbor as yourself.
This summarizes all the law and all the prophets.
The Greek word that is used in the Bible for love in this commandment is agape. It is love of all creation. It is love for humanity. It is love that goes beyond partnership and family. And it is more than affection or positive feelings.
When Jesus says that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, he is telling us to love God with all that we are and to demonstrate that love, make it real, act on it.
Jesus is also challenging us to love God with the gifts and opportunities that are uniquely ours.
Members of this church recently received a letter for this year’s Stewardship Campaign. Besides for the card that asks you to make a financial commitment to the church, there was also a Time and Talent form, that lists tasks in the church that are an opportunity for you love God with the gifts that are yours uniquely.
I am so excited with the new members who have joined the church today, and those who will be joining soon. They are new neighbors who have just moved into the neighborhood. They have seen something in this neighborhood that makes them feel at home, something that makes them feel loved, accepted, welcomed as they are and called to become something new.
These new neighbors, just by being here, just by being who they are, are going to shake up the neighborhood with their gifts. Evidence of this can be seen in the current make-up of the Stewardship Board which includes three new members and, who in concert with the other members have put together a creative Consecrating Stewardship Campaign. Who would have thought a Stewardship Board could be a place of creativity and enthusiasm?
And you, the current members of this church, are going to shake up the new members with your gifts that are a part of a 144 year old history that has made this a unique congregation in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties.
There’s going to be a whole lot of shaking going on.
And what a blessing, what an opening of a new way of seeing our lives if we consider that this is God’s love echoing through us to all creation.
What I first came here, just over a year ago, I asked the question, “What in God’s name is going on here at First Congregational Church, Murphys, United Church of Christ.
There’s a whole lot of shaking going on.
Christ calls us to keep our balance with all this shaking going on with these two great commandments; love God with all that you are, and love your neighbor as yourself
The person who loves God but does not love neighbor is gravely deficient. In fact, the First Letter of John tell us that "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also" (1 John 4:20-21).
That is very tough language, given the difficulties that many of us have with particular family members or church members. Jesus expands the requirement by his definition of neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan. For Jewish people, living at the time of Jesus, there was no such thing as a good Samaritan and certainly no one was expected to love them. Except for the ones, like Jesus, who remember and believe as it says in Genesis 1:27, “Humankind was created as God’s reflection: in the divine image God created them;…”
Love for neighbor can fall into sentimentalism or selective love, unless it is grounded in love for God. Love of God is the first commandment, not the second. Love of God is the foundation upon which all the other commandments depend.
The United Church of Christ is a denomination where the tents of hope are wide, the table of extravagant welcome is long, and the invitation to partnership is extended to all people. We don’t decide who is neighbor and who is not. God’s love echoes through us to all creation includes all people regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, physical disabilities, political party, or how we vote in the upcoming election.
When the election is over we will need to quickly set aside ideas of winners and losers, we will need to remember that we are Christians, Americans, global citizens, in a word, neighbors.
It isn’t easy. That’s why the first commandment is to love God.
Eric Hoffer, the longshoreman-philosopher, says, "It is easier to love humanity than to love your neighbor." In other words, it is easier to love the world than to love the guy next door. It is easier to love our neighbors in theory than it is in practice.
We are called to Be the message. Love God with all you’ve got. Love neighbor as you would love yourself.
G.K. Chesterton put it this way: "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are the same people." Loving neighbors can be difficult, but loving neighbors can also be very powerful. Love changes lives.
We are called to Be the message. Love God with all you’ve got. Love neighbor as you would love yourself.
Mother Teresa said, "Prayer in action is love. Love in action is service." Love is not a concept or a peaceful easy feeling. Love is a decision, it is a commitment born of a vision, baptized by the holy Spirit to a lifetime of learning to grow in compassion.
In our offerings of time, talents, and treasure we unite our commitment, our vision and our love for this dwelling place of God.
Let me share a story with you about love in action. It’s a simple one.
I saw a story on Bill Moyers Journal on Friday evening. Filmmaker and music lover was walking down his hometown Santa Monica beach one day when he heard a street musician playing, Stand By Me. He was stopped in his tracks. He listened until the song was done and march Johnson asked the musician if he would mind being recorded and filmed performing that song. The musician said that would be fine.
That began a project of Marc Johnson taking that film and recording around the world to street musicians who added their harmonies, the instruments, their images to this film. Stand By Me, went walking all around the world, including to the poorest section of South Africa. When the local musicians came out to play, women and children came out of their homes, and out of their despair and began dancing, and singing. Stand By Me.
Marc talked with these people in this village and his heart went out to them. He asked a local bass player, “What do you need?” The man said, “We need a music school so our children can learn to play the music.”
Proceeds from the film that will include other songs than Stand By Me will go to the creation of schools of music all around the world. Playing for Change will change communities. Loving God, with all your heart, strength, mind and spirit will change communities. Loving your neighbor as yourself will change, YOU.
Thomas Merton wrote, “We do not exist for ourselves (as the center of the universe), and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others. What do I mean by loving others properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live, accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give others.
Remember your baptism, your rebirth in the Spirit of the Living God.
Remember that we were wonderfully made in the God’s reflection.
Let our actions been a sign in the neighborhood that love makes a family, mutual respect makes a family, and forgiveness makes a family.
Be the message. Love God, love neighbor, love yourself.
Let the messengers say.
Amen
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Live The Message
Live The Message
Exodus 33:12-23 Matthew 22:15-22
October 19, 2008
Rev. Alan Claassen
Jesus had a way of seeing things that was different from most of us.
He could look at a mustard seed and see the kin-dom of God.
He could look at lilies of the field and see an example of trusting in God.
He could look at his own disciples’ fears of not having enough and in five loaves of bread, two fish, and a prayer to God Jesus could make a way to feed a multitude.
He could look at a man ignored on the side of the road because of his blindness and Jesus could see that man back into sight and back into his community.
And in the passage that was read this morning from the Gospel according to Matthew Jesus could see a trick question. More than this he could see the false choices that the religious and political leaders were presenting to him and to all the people.
The choice between Caesar and God is a false choice. Just as it false to believe that we have to choose between jobs and the environment. Just as it false to say that we have to choose between prisons or more schools. Just as it false that have to choose between responsible fiscal management and making a profit. Just as it is a false choice that have to choose to allow our nation to be a leader among industrialized nations in selling weapons but way behind the pack when it comes to investing in our children’s future through education or health care.
Jesus was able to see the false choice because of his deep love and commitment to God. And it is good to remember that this love was informed by the knowledge that Jesus had of his tradition, which included the prophets: Amos, Jeremiah, and Isaiah.
Quoting Jim Wallis, in his book, The Soul of Politics, “The biblical prophets encourage us to be suspicious of concentrations of wealth and power; to mistrust ideological rationales that justify subordinating people to causes; and especially to become sensitive to the poor, the disenfranchised, the stranger, and the outsider.” (pg 38-40)
Jesus knew what the prophets taught and so he turned the trick question into an opportunity to see what is most fundamental in life, what has the deepest source of strength, and what is most needed by people to realize their intimate connection with one another and all God’s creation.
The question put to Jesus by the religious and political authorities was, “Rabbi, teacher, we know that you’re honest and teach God’s way sincerely. You court no one’s favor and don’t act out of respect for important people. Give us your opinion, then, in this case, “Is it lawful to pay tax to the Roman Emperor Caesar, or not?”
It is important to see the set-up in the question, when those who posed the question were trying to butter up Jesus. They were setting up a false choice in question. They implied, that to give all one’s attention to God means that we shouldn’t care the affairs of humanity. And this was very important -- as the setting of the story – the country in which Jesus was living—was an occupied territory. Rome was the occupier and the Jewish religion was only allowed to continue it practices if it kept itself within the confines of the temple. Don’t mix religion and politics. It’s alright if you feed the poor, Jesus, but don’t start asking any questions about the conditions of a society that creates poverty in the first place.
But this was a false choice for Jesus because he knew, from the prophets, that love of God and love of neighbor are not able to separated and that even kings are accountable to law of the Covenant.
And so Jesus, replied to the question, in his kind, sweet, don’t want to upset anyone manner, saying,
“You hypocrites.”
Even when we allow Jesus to vent a little frustration by calling the hypocrites out for what they are, he does still love and he still works for their transformation by posing a question. “Whose face is on the coin you use to pay taxes?”
They look and see Caesar’s face and Jesus says, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but give to God what is God’s.”
And those of the trick question, those trapped within the realm of false choices walked away amazed. Maybe the seed of transformation was placed within them. Maybe one of them later showed up at a house church meeting of the followers of Jesus, seeking to remember to call of the Covenant.
Whose face is on the coin we use to pay our taxes? I am thinking of the faces of former Presidents who are on the face of our coins and I wish instead that there were a child’s face on those coins. Or a mother’s face. Or the face of student who attends a school of 1200 students in a building designed for 800.
Whose face is on the coin when we decide where to spend it, give it, invest it, share it?
Remembering the call of the Covenant where do we as a nation choose to place our coins? Jim Wallis, the author of The Soul of Politics, which I quoted earlier, said that our country is in need of a spiritual renewal that is based on social justice, compassion, and community.
I remember the words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, “All that evil requires to prosper is that good men and women do nothing.”
I remember our own United Church of Christ, which sponsored a nationwide conference a few years ago on Freedom of Conscience and the rise of the Religious Right.
One of the papers that came out of that Conference says, “ When political power is exercised in the cause of love, care, and compassion, it deserves our respect and support, not cynical indifference. When political power is not used toward these aims it is the church’s calling to hold accountable those who would use power and authority for selfish ends, to do violence, and to divide human communities.”
(Freedom of Conscience and the Radical Religious Right
Office for Church and Society, Board of Homeland Ministries)
This Sunday is a special day in many churches and faith communities. This day is being celebrated around the country as Children’s Sabbath Day. This is a day for faith communities to take a good look at how we are caring for our children and grandchildren.
It is a day for us to lift up the historical values of health care and public education that our church so vigorously supported, as we were a part of the building of this nation.
And so I remember the words and work of Marian Wright Edelman, Director of the Children’s Defense Fund. It was her organization that first created the Vision Statement, “Leave No Child Behind.” For Marian Wright Edelman this is more than a slogan, it is a call to put our coins in the places where the need is greatest for the health and well-being of our nation’s children.
She writes:
“We must convey in earnest the importance of participating in the civic life of the community, state, and nation. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
Indeed, the religious community must lead the way in taking a stand for children to bring their needs before the conscience of the nation.
We have come to a moral crossroads in our nation, one at which we have to decide whether or not to stand up for children. Will we take the path of least resistance, or selfish indifference, or the road less traveled?
As Christians we called to be relentless in our pursuit of social justice, resolute in our efforts, and renewed in our spirits.
We must live by the Word and keep walking down the road to justice. So use your walking stick, your wheelchair, or your own two feet to stand for children and keep moving on down that road.”
Living the Word, the Message means wanting and working for the same thing that Jesus wanted and worked for—a universal community of peace, compassion, and justice sustained by the experience of a loving God.
Living the message means making the connection between the love of God and love of neighbor.
Living the message means thinking seriously about where you are going to place your coins.
For me, all things belong to God first of all. Whether I decide to place my coins in the hands of a local grocery store clerk, in paying taxes as a citizen of a great nation, in making a contribution to my church or favorite non-profit organization, I am always first rendering unto God what belongs to God. Every choice is a sacred choice.
We live the message of God’s love and compassion when we vote, when we contribute, when we pay our monthly bills. Everything we have, in time, talent, and treasure comes from God, and we live the message when we consciously choose to give what we have received back to God through healthy, life-giving choices.
Marian Wright Edelman once said, “I may not be able to be a great leader, I may not be able to move mountains, but I can take a stand for children.”
So I encourage everyone to vote. Vote with your coins. Vote with your ballots. Live the message of compassion with the conscious awareness that all of God is in all places. When we quiet our anxieties we can listen and hear music over our heads.
Because there is a God somewhere, right here, right now. Let’s sing the message!
Exodus 33:12-23 Matthew 22:15-22
October 19, 2008
Rev. Alan Claassen
Jesus had a way of seeing things that was different from most of us.
He could look at a mustard seed and see the kin-dom of God.
He could look at lilies of the field and see an example of trusting in God.
He could look at his own disciples’ fears of not having enough and in five loaves of bread, two fish, and a prayer to God Jesus could make a way to feed a multitude.
He could look at a man ignored on the side of the road because of his blindness and Jesus could see that man back into sight and back into his community.
And in the passage that was read this morning from the Gospel according to Matthew Jesus could see a trick question. More than this he could see the false choices that the religious and political leaders were presenting to him and to all the people.
The choice between Caesar and God is a false choice. Just as it false to believe that we have to choose between jobs and the environment. Just as it false to say that we have to choose between prisons or more schools. Just as it false that have to choose between responsible fiscal management and making a profit. Just as it is a false choice that have to choose to allow our nation to be a leader among industrialized nations in selling weapons but way behind the pack when it comes to investing in our children’s future through education or health care.
Jesus was able to see the false choice because of his deep love and commitment to God. And it is good to remember that this love was informed by the knowledge that Jesus had of his tradition, which included the prophets: Amos, Jeremiah, and Isaiah.
Quoting Jim Wallis, in his book, The Soul of Politics, “The biblical prophets encourage us to be suspicious of concentrations of wealth and power; to mistrust ideological rationales that justify subordinating people to causes; and especially to become sensitive to the poor, the disenfranchised, the stranger, and the outsider.” (pg 38-40)
Jesus knew what the prophets taught and so he turned the trick question into an opportunity to see what is most fundamental in life, what has the deepest source of strength, and what is most needed by people to realize their intimate connection with one another and all God’s creation.
The question put to Jesus by the religious and political authorities was, “Rabbi, teacher, we know that you’re honest and teach God’s way sincerely. You court no one’s favor and don’t act out of respect for important people. Give us your opinion, then, in this case, “Is it lawful to pay tax to the Roman Emperor Caesar, or not?”
It is important to see the set-up in the question, when those who posed the question were trying to butter up Jesus. They were setting up a false choice in question. They implied, that to give all one’s attention to God means that we shouldn’t care the affairs of humanity. And this was very important -- as the setting of the story – the country in which Jesus was living—was an occupied territory. Rome was the occupier and the Jewish religion was only allowed to continue it practices if it kept itself within the confines of the temple. Don’t mix religion and politics. It’s alright if you feed the poor, Jesus, but don’t start asking any questions about the conditions of a society that creates poverty in the first place.
But this was a false choice for Jesus because he knew, from the prophets, that love of God and love of neighbor are not able to separated and that even kings are accountable to law of the Covenant.
And so Jesus, replied to the question, in his kind, sweet, don’t want to upset anyone manner, saying,
“You hypocrites.”
Even when we allow Jesus to vent a little frustration by calling the hypocrites out for what they are, he does still love and he still works for their transformation by posing a question. “Whose face is on the coin you use to pay taxes?”
They look and see Caesar’s face and Jesus says, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but give to God what is God’s.”
And those of the trick question, those trapped within the realm of false choices walked away amazed. Maybe the seed of transformation was placed within them. Maybe one of them later showed up at a house church meeting of the followers of Jesus, seeking to remember to call of the Covenant.
Whose face is on the coin we use to pay our taxes? I am thinking of the faces of former Presidents who are on the face of our coins and I wish instead that there were a child’s face on those coins. Or a mother’s face. Or the face of student who attends a school of 1200 students in a building designed for 800.
Whose face is on the coin when we decide where to spend it, give it, invest it, share it?
Remembering the call of the Covenant where do we as a nation choose to place our coins? Jim Wallis, the author of The Soul of Politics, which I quoted earlier, said that our country is in need of a spiritual renewal that is based on social justice, compassion, and community.
I remember the words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, “All that evil requires to prosper is that good men and women do nothing.”
I remember our own United Church of Christ, which sponsored a nationwide conference a few years ago on Freedom of Conscience and the rise of the Religious Right.
One of the papers that came out of that Conference says, “ When political power is exercised in the cause of love, care, and compassion, it deserves our respect and support, not cynical indifference. When political power is not used toward these aims it is the church’s calling to hold accountable those who would use power and authority for selfish ends, to do violence, and to divide human communities.”
(Freedom of Conscience and the Radical Religious Right
Office for Church and Society, Board of Homeland Ministries)
This Sunday is a special day in many churches and faith communities. This day is being celebrated around the country as Children’s Sabbath Day. This is a day for faith communities to take a good look at how we are caring for our children and grandchildren.
It is a day for us to lift up the historical values of health care and public education that our church so vigorously supported, as we were a part of the building of this nation.
And so I remember the words and work of Marian Wright Edelman, Director of the Children’s Defense Fund. It was her organization that first created the Vision Statement, “Leave No Child Behind.” For Marian Wright Edelman this is more than a slogan, it is a call to put our coins in the places where the need is greatest for the health and well-being of our nation’s children.
She writes:
“We must convey in earnest the importance of participating in the civic life of the community, state, and nation. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
Indeed, the religious community must lead the way in taking a stand for children to bring their needs before the conscience of the nation.
We have come to a moral crossroads in our nation, one at which we have to decide whether or not to stand up for children. Will we take the path of least resistance, or selfish indifference, or the road less traveled?
As Christians we called to be relentless in our pursuit of social justice, resolute in our efforts, and renewed in our spirits.
We must live by the Word and keep walking down the road to justice. So use your walking stick, your wheelchair, or your own two feet to stand for children and keep moving on down that road.”
Living the Word, the Message means wanting and working for the same thing that Jesus wanted and worked for—a universal community of peace, compassion, and justice sustained by the experience of a loving God.
Living the message means making the connection between the love of God and love of neighbor.
Living the message means thinking seriously about where you are going to place your coins.
For me, all things belong to God first of all. Whether I decide to place my coins in the hands of a local grocery store clerk, in paying taxes as a citizen of a great nation, in making a contribution to my church or favorite non-profit organization, I am always first rendering unto God what belongs to God. Every choice is a sacred choice.
We live the message of God’s love and compassion when we vote, when we contribute, when we pay our monthly bills. Everything we have, in time, talent, and treasure comes from God, and we live the message when we consciously choose to give what we have received back to God through healthy, life-giving choices.
Marian Wright Edelman once said, “I may not be able to be a great leader, I may not be able to move mountains, but I can take a stand for children.”
So I encourage everyone to vote. Vote with your coins. Vote with your ballots. Live the message of compassion with the conscious awareness that all of God is in all places. When we quiet our anxieties we can listen and hear music over our heads.
Because there is a God somewhere, right here, right now. Let’s sing the message!
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