His

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday February 27, 2011, the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Isaiah 49:8-16a

Psalm 131

1Corinthians 4:1-5

Matthew 6:24-34

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen

AllState Insurance has begun a series of TV ads featuring the embodiment of mayhem.  In a press release, AllState says, “By depicting the uncertainties of everyday life, the advertising reinforces humorously why consumers need the protection of Allstate insurance.”[1]  In a warped way, a way that laughs at the misfortunes of others, AllState declares these ads “edgier” than the simple Dennis Haysbert voiceovers.  (You may remember Haysbert from when he played “Snake Doctor” on the CBS TV Show “The Unit.”)

Played by actor Dean Winters, Mayhem takes all forms.  Mayhem is a girl driving a Barbie Pink Jeep in a mall parking lot smashing other vehicles.  Mayhem is another young driver trying to text and drive.  Mayhem is a branch coming down in a storm.  Mayhem is the GPS system in the car that doesn’t get updated giving directions to smash into another vehicle.  Mayhem is a deer caught in the headlights.  Mayhem is a Christmas Tree falling off of the roof of the car after not properly securing it.  Mayhem takes all shapes and sizes.  Mayhem is caused by people; Mayhem is caused by nature; Mayhem is even caused by computers.

There is nothing quite like teaching people that Mayhem is everywhere so they had better do two things, the first is get used to it and the second is get insurance.  They really aren’t even saying “prepare,” they’re saying “buy insurance to protect yourself from every unknown risk.”

This is make-believe mayhem, this isn’t even close to real mayhem.  Real mayhem is stuff like the financial crisis.  This crisis was begun by greedy people who tried to get more toys so they could win.  Stockholders were swindled by a series of lies that drove up stock prices for the principle purpose of increasing bonuses to the directors who oversaw record-breaking false profits.  It’s a case of false prophets reporting false profits.

So where is the protection for the investor? Mark Taibbi[2] recently wrote an article for Rolling Stone that highlighted several factors involved in the economic collapse including a rather porous relationship between corporate boards and the government agencies that monitor them.  What regulator is going to kill the goose before getting a golden egg of their very own?  Taibbi tells us those who are in line for their egg surely won’t.  Taibbi all but says, “Worry, the cycle of ill-gotten gain has not been broken.”

What do we have to worry on the international front?  Moammar Gadhafi[3] is in denial while his nation is in chaos.  Just this month Hosni Mubarak’s regime was brought down in Egypt.  Political, economic, and cultural strife are making their way known from North Africa through the Mid East.  Iran is even facing political turmoil. 

On a side note, we’re all in favor of justice and democracy, but in the same breath we aren’t in favor of the spike in oil prices that lag just a day behind any uncertainty.  It’s back to the economy; and who has made more in the past five years than the oil companies?

Google has been accused of changing the way websites do business.  Recently changing the algorithm that displays results, they have been accused of directing business away from one set of web sites to another, messing up business models and paring profits.  What Wal-Mart has been accused of doing to Main Street, Google is now being accused of on Tech Street.[4]

Thursday’s storms even created mayhem of its own, causing death and destruction in its wake.  A Presbyterian Church in Nashville even lost parts of two roofs during the storm.  Add to that the Christchurch earthquake and its death toll still rising, mayhem has come into the house and gotten comfortable.

Oh, and one more word on the matter: Pirates!

There have been so many disasters over the past five years (ten years?) that people have become overwhelmed and donations are dropping just when they are needed most.  There is actually a tendency during a spate of emergencies for donations to drop off.  It’s not news to relief agencies.  It even has a name, “disaster fatigue.”

So hear now the words of the ancient bard:

Gloom, despair, and agony on me,

Deep dark depression, excessive misery,

If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all,

Gloom, despair, and agony on me.

So when I read this Gospel passage, I just want to look to the heavens, shake my fist, and ask God what exactly is meant by “do not worry about your life?”  Oh, and seeing as how the New Living Translation renders this “not to worry about everyday life” does that give us license to worry about the big nasty stuff as long as we don’t sweat the small stuff?  Then are we supposed to accept adding insult to injury when somebody says “it’s all small stuff?”  Sorry, I’ve got worries… and I know that you do too. 

We pray over our joys and concerns every week and it never fails, there are always joys and concerns; and generally, there are far more concerns than joys.

This is why; after all of this raving through the first nine verses of our reading I want us to focus on the tenth, “Strive first for his kingdom and his righteousness.”  We are called to a radical new priority, strive first for the kingdom of God, and then what follows.

The prophet Micah is often quoted with directions on how to minister to the prisoners and the lost.  He prophesied, “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  This is what we are called to do.  These are the ways of his kingdom and his righteousness.  This is striving for his kingdom and righteousness.

The prophet Isaiah tells the covenant people to raise up, restore, and establish the land saying to the prisoners, “Come out;” and telling those in the darkness “Show yourselves.”  The Lord promises that the one who has compassion for the prisoners and the lost will lead them and by springs of water will guide them; for the Lord has comforted his people, and the Lord will have compassion on those who suffer.  This is striving for his kingdom and righteousness.

Through Isaiah, the Lord promises that those who have cause to be anxious will be comforted.  This promise was reflected again by Paul in 1Corinthians.  Paul begins his call to those who will be sent in the name of the Lord by telling them that they are, that we are, servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.  As servants of Christ, we are called to do the business of the household of God. 

The glory of this term, servant, is that it’s no lofty theological term.  It isn’t something that has a long theological history; defined and redefined by the greats of the church.  Servant is a household term.  It is a common term.  Servants helped around the house.  Servants cooked and cleaned.  The servants took care of the business of the household as assigned. 

This isn’t a position of privilege or status; it is a position of duty, a vocation of action.  As servants we are the helpers of the master, the one who is the head of the household.  We take the master’s instruction, not our own.   This is striving for his kingdom and righteousness.

We are also stewards of God’s mysteries.  The managers of the household receive orders from the head of the household leading others in the work of the manor.  In a way, being a steward would be like a chef leading the kitchen staff in preparing daily meals and arranging special events.

Being stewards of God’s mysteries is a difficult proposition.  By definition, this points to “the private counsel of God” or “the reality that transcends our understanding.”[5]  So to be stewards of these mysteries, we must be attentive to the will of the master, the will we find in scripture of God, in the life of Jesus, and in the calling of the Holy Spirit.  This is striving for his kingdom and righteousness.

In the movie “The Princess Bride” the stable boy Westley is a servant of the family of the maiden Buttercup.  Whenever Buttercup would ask Westley to do any chore he would respond, “As you wish.”  No matter how menial or degrading or cruel, he would respond, “As you wish.”

The story continues, “[Buttercup] was amazed to discover that when he was saying ‘As you wish’, what he meant was, ‘I love you.’ And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back.” 

I want to redraw this story in the light of our Gospel reading instead of Paul’s letter.  As the epistle says, we are called to answer the Lord saying “As You Wish,” but more often than not, we ask God what we will eat or drink or wear.  We are called to say, “As you wish,” but the Lord knows our tendency is to say “we wish” instead.  This is not striving for his kingdom and righteousness.

It is the Lord who constantly tells us “I love you,” when all our sinful nature wants to hear is “as you wish.”  It is a shame that all too often our cries and our prayers deal with superficial worries of life when we are called to strive for the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 

This leads us to one more matter that we must examine on account of this passage, discerning his kingdom and his righteousness.  The best example for me to bring up today is the biennial root canal that is the General Assembly of the PC(USA).  This is a place where good Christian men and women come together to discern God’s will for the denomination and for the whole Body of Christ.  As is the norm when good Christian men and women come together to discern God’s will, people will often reach opposite conclusions regarding the best way to strive for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

What I find distressing is not that we disagree.  I’m distressed when we insult and revile another in God’s name.  I have seen fear and shame and anger do their level best to overwhelm love.  Often people are so blind to their own words that not only is grace lacking, but so is confession that no one person has had all the answers since the guy on the cross.

Yet as we strive for the kingdom of God and his righteousness together, we are able to discern God’s way and wisdom for our lives.  In Committees, in Session and in Presbytery and in General Assembly, we are more apt to discern God’s wisdom than when we work alone.  When we hear the opinions of others, especially when we disagree, we are more likely to learn from one another.

Next weekend, this feast of discernment makes its way to Dallas where Grace Presbytery will vote on the amendments sent by the General Assembly to the presbyteries.  So now, let us pray not for a side to win the day, but that as a Presbytery we strive for his kingdom and his righteousness. 

When we concern ourselves with the work and the mysteries of God, acting as servants and stewards, we truly love God back.  When this happens, we are promised that all these things, the everyday things, will be given as well.

The things that will be given to us won’t fall like manna from heaven.  They will come from the person sitting right next to us; from neighbors; and in the smiling face of a stranger.  The things which will satisfy our worries will come in the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ reflected in the eyes, the hearts, the souls of our friends and neighbors.

We receive the blessings of others, as others receive the blessings we give them.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the grace of God multiplies these blessings beyond what we could ever do ourselves.  As we deal with the worries of his kingdom and righteousness, our earthly worries have the tendency to be taken care of along the way.

As I said earlier, we are called to a radical new priority, we are called to work for the things of the kingdom of God first, and then deal with what comes.  When we strive for this inbreaking of the kingdom of heaven on earth, this touch of God’s righteousness in our lives and the lives of others, when we touch the world like this, the world returns the touch.  In the way of glory and light; what goes around, comes around; for the glory of the Lord and the good of all creation.  In short, we are to do his work by his will for his kingdom and his righteousness.  His.

So let us act in ways that are pleasing to God, let live as the LORD requires, doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God.  By doing God’s work on earth, we participate in the kingdom of heaven which is constantly coming on earth.  And by doing God’s work through Jesus Christ our Lord, we prepare for the eternal coming of his kingdom and righteousness.

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[1] “AllState Declares Mayhem Is Coming in New Ad Campaign,” http://www.allstatenewsroom.com/releases/allstate-declares-mayhem-is-coming-in-new-ad-campaign, retrieved February 26, 2011.

[2] Taibbi, Mark, “Why Isn’t Wall Street in Jail?,” http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-isnt-wall-street-in-jail-20110216, retrieved  February 22, 2011.

[3] Name spelling from CNN

[4] Google Rejiggers Search Rankings to Reward 'High Quality' Sites, http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/google-rejiggers-search-rankings-to-reward-high-quality-sites/19859717/, retrieved February 26, 2011.

[5] “Musthrion” Entry, A Greek—English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Revised and Edited by Frederick William Danker, Third Edition.  Based on Walter Bauer's Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Literatur, sixth edition,  ed. Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, with Viktor Reichmann  and on previous English editions by W.F.Arndt, F.W.Gingrich, and F.W.Danker., Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 

Verb Tense

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday January 30, 2011, the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Micah 6:1-8

Psalm 15

1Corinthians 1:18-31

Matthew 5:1-12

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen

The President of Louisville Seminary once said that he couldn’t wait to get to seminary himself.  He knew that when he was finally able to examine scripture in its original languages, all of the ambiguity, all of the questions would be gone and the light would shine.  That ended when he took his first classes in language and scriptural translation and interpretation.  He thought that the original languages would give him insight into the text, and it did.  It just gave him so much insight that as it gave him answers, it also gave him more and different questions. 

I have found this while looking at the Beatitudes, this week’s gospel reading.  There is something going on with the language, and the way that the language is structured, that tells us more than we know.  So I beg, forgive me this walk through the history of the languages of the Bible.  I know that this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is important to our reading today.

The first thing that is important to learn is that there are several ways that the verb “to be” is rendered in scripture.  In the Greek, it’s a verb phrase that’s slightly familiar because the first word in the phrase has become our word “ego.”  In the strictest sense, when we talk about the ego, it is used to talk about “the I” and who I am.  Psychology teaches us about healthy egos, and over developed egos.  It teaches us about strong egos and weak egos.  In the end, it is all about who I am.  But there is another way that the verb “to be” is rendered.

Many places in the original Greek and Hebrew scriptures, the verb “to be” is rendered without the verb.  In English, this comes across like “Me Tarzan, you Jane.”  We understand the sentence should more correctly be rendered “I am Tarzan, you are Jane” but it’s not and still we understand it without the verb.  In the Greek and Hebrew, this verbless phrase is not only correct, but is used often.  It’s just one of the quirks of the language.  Maybe the best answer to why sometimes you use a verbal phrase and other times a phrase without a verb is that the more formal the situation, the more likely it would be to use the verb.

In Hebrew and Greek there is one other time when the verb phrase “to be” is used and that’s when talking about God.  In the Hebrew, we would always say “people do, only God is.”  This is how the Hebrew Scriptures prevent any misuse of “The Great I AM,” they never used the verb “to be” for any other purpose than for the holy name of God.

The other thing that is important in this scripture is that often when this passage is read, there is an emphasis on reading the words “blessed are.”  Often it is read in an imperative voice.  Often it is read in a very bold voice saying “they are blessed, blessed are poor in spirit…” and so on.  There may even be a lesser emphasis on the specific blessing, “blessed are poor in spirit… for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”  Well, today, based on these two language gems, I want to share with you a new way to read this gospel message.

You see, the language of the Beatitudes is not built around an imperative verb voice.  There is no extra boldness written into the original text.  In fact, these blessings are verbless clauses.  In the Greek, it is written, “Blessed the ones who mourn because they will be comforted.”  The “are” is there, but in the original languages, it’s not written.

I ask this question often, but today it is more apt than ever, “So what, Paul, what’s at stake with this.”

Most simply stated, these blessings are statements, statements of fact.  The way the Beatitudes are worded, they indicate who is blessed and why.  They aren’t aimed most directly at any community that will be, they are aimed at the community of the moment.  Jesus is telling his disciples that the poor and disassociated, the weak and the lame, the widows and the orphans, those who live on the fringes of society are blessed.  Not that they will be blessed but they are blessed.

Yes, many, not all, but many of these blessings are rendered in the future, but the fact that these people are blessed is in the present tense.  Maybe for the blessings rendered in the future tense it’s kind of like a bank CD.  Yes, it’s coming, and it can’t be cashed in until sometime in the future, but the blessing is still yours.

Here’s what’s important.  This isn’t so much an advertisement by the Lord asking people to become hungry and thirsty for righteousness.  It is a declaration that those who are hungry and those who are thirsty for righteousness are already blessed.  Yes, the Lord wants us to be merciful, but the point is that those who are pure of heart are now and will forevermore be blessed.

The Beatitudes are not so much a “how to” of God’s blessings, they are a “who are.”  This isn’t a guide for the future, it is a note of the present.

Do any of these Beatitudes sound familiar?  Micah tells us that the Lord requires us to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.  Using these glorious words that became the theme of the 218^th General Assembly of the PC(USA) in 2008, the Lord has shown us what is important even in the ancient days of the prophet.

What’s a pity is that this falls at the end of a piece that begins like this, “Hear, O mountains, the Lord’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.  For the Lord has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel.”  The prophet doesn’t speak these words because he is ready to give the people of God a lollypop.  He is sharing with the world what is required of a good disciple, and it wouldn’t be necessary to share this instruction if everything were going according to plan.

The Rev. Dr. David Johnson posted this tidbit on his facebook status yesterday:

Modern heresies contradicted: You can put too much meat on a sandwich. You can pay too much for a bottle of wine. You can be too careful. It can feel right and still be wrong. You can be too thin. You can be too rich (and most of us probably are, given the state of much of the world.)

I believe his point to be that the words of Micah are not always present in the world the Rev. Dr. Johnson knows, and since where he resides in that world is in Austin, what he says he intends to be too close for comfort. He says we live in a world where we take our blessings now in earthly wealth, not in the blessings of the Gospel.

But if this seems silly, or at least heretical to the modern world, just remember this, if we are wise by human standards, then we don’t leave a lot of room for Godly wisdom.  Paul’s letter to the Corinthians makes this very clear.  God chooses the foolish in the world to shame the wise.  God chooses what is weak to shame the strong. God uses the low and despised to nullify the high of this world so that no one might boast in the presence of God.

In all of these things, blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers, for they are blessed not for their own benefit, but to the glory of the Lord.

Still, there is a blessing for the people of the Rev. Dr. Johnson’s modern heresies, those who are persecuted for their witness in the Lord, their reward is also in heaven.  Just as Isaiah was persecuted, just as Jeremiah was persecuted, just as Micah was persecuted, so are we who bring the name of the Lord to the world.

So let us not revile those who the world says are weak, for they are strong in God’s blessings.  Let us not put ourselves above anyone because of who the world tells us we are because our wisdom is God’s folly.  In the end too, we will all be blessed in the way of the prophets.  We are all blessed, welcomed in the waters of our baptism as the people of God.