A reflection on the lectionary readings for the third Sunday after Pentecost.
Are you feeling harassed and helpless? As much as I want to giggle at the alliterative way the translators wrote that verse in our reading today, I know it’s a serious description of a serious issue. And I wonder if Jesus sees us today the way he saw the people in first century Palestine under Roman Rule.
It feels like we aren’t much off from the scene 2000+ years ago. Most of us are worried and anxious about the rising price of groceries and gas. The government has cut and eliminated so many social assistance programs saying there isn’t any money for them and then spend billions to wage a war they asked no one’s permission before starting and that most of us don’t think we should be in. The president is hosting a cage fight on the White House lawn to celebrate his birthday. The current head of the US Department of Education is a former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO. The Department of Defense has been renamed the Department of War. The current administration is so focused on violent power that they’ve lost sight of the people they are supposed to be serving, not unlike the oppressive Roman rule of the first century.
I see so many who are attempting to lead with violence and anger, telling us who we are supposed to hate and fear and I know beyond a doubt that these leaders are not following Jesus. They are the wolves that Jesus warns us of. I feel like we have no leadership in this country. I feel harassed and helpless.
The disciples Jesus called weren’t the elite of the day. They were fishermen and tax collectors, looked down upon by their culture. Jesus tells the disciples to go to the house of Israel to proclaim the good news to those who have lost their Way as God’s people. Somehow, some folks overlook that he says the ‘lost sheep’ and use this verse to claim some sort of false elitism with their proclaimed belief in Jesus. But what Jesus is doing here isn’t to exclude anyone from God’s Kingdom. You only have to read the rest of Matthew’s telling of the Good News to understand this. Jesus is telling them that they need to put their own house in order before they invite anyone else to join them in the Kingdom of which they are to be the hosts.
The light shining in this darkness for me is knowing for certain that Jesus always sees us with compassion. And so my prayer becomes what Jesus says to ask for, “Lord show me how to love louder than the hate and violence so prevalent right now. Help me bear your image and be a beacon of hope to all who are harassed and helpless. Show me and equip me to do what is mine to do to invite others into Your Kingdom-on-earth-as-in-heaven and help me to be a gracious host for You, even when, especially when it is challenging and difficult.”
When we answer Jesus’ invitation of ‘follow me’ we are given the responsibility to proclaim the Good News of God’s Love with our whole being: heart, soul, mind, and strength, with all that we are, all that we have, think, say, and do. The way we live is to reflect the light of hope and compassion that proves there is a better way than the violence that the current administration is attempting to lead with. The way we live is to glorify God, not ourselves and God is not glorified by violence and hate. We are to build up God’s Kingdom by seeing others with compassion and inviting them to join us in the Way of Love.
It isn’t easy. Jesus tells us this plainly. There are lots of folks who are challenging to love. Sometimes we are challenging to love. Love as Jesus shows us how to love is hard work. We have to grow and change our own stubborn and self-serving ways. We have to stand up for justice even when those closest to us are against it. We have to leave behind our need to be right, our need to retaliate, our need for revenge, and our need to fix or control others. We have to keep proclaiming love even when our voice feels small and insignificant and even when others try to silence us.
We don’t do this hard work alone. We do it together and with God’s help. We do it from the place inside of us that knows we are God’s beloved where we find the strength and courage to Love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors as ourselves even as the world around us is screaming violent hate.
God made us in God’s image, good and holy. Don’t lose sight of this in you and you will see it in others. Remember that Jesus sees you with the same compassion he saw those who were harassed and helpless over 2000 years ago. Look to Jesus to lead us in The Way of Love. Amen.
Mother Nancy's Coffee Thoughts 