My Sermon from Last Sunday

My dear friends in Christ, we continue with the Sermon on the Mount.  To remind us what we have learned thus far let us have brief review of the past Sundays.   Jesus has called us “Repent” that is to be awakened from the slumber of complacency of simply just following God’s rules.  We are called to engage God’s laws in such a way that these laws deepen our relationship with Jesus and the world. 

We have heard the great beatitudes.  Blessings that calls us to be open to a new way of living and to receive the light of life that the laws of God permeate.  The beatitudes asks us to do nothing more but to engage the world as humble peacemakers, and honest witnesses to Jesus love for us and the world.  In today’s gospel, Jesus continues his sermon by addressing the Laws of God and how they were misinterpreted or misunderstood.

            Each Law addresses a theme: murder, adultery, divorce, and taking oaths in God’s name.  These actions break apart communities, divides families and leaves a residue of pain that sometimes is left unhealed.   There was widespread debate on how the commandments were to be interpreted which led to more legalistic understanding of the commandments.  Rather than understanding God’s laws as means to build and create better relationships with God and our community, they were interpreted to protect the individual themselves through offerings at the altar.

 Instead of taking a legalistic approach to God’s laws, Jesus shares with us that God’s laws are a means for us to reflect on who we are, what we are becoming and how we can change and bring new life in the world in our relationships with each other.  At the core of these laws, the spirit of these laws, is that we embrace a change of heart and conversion of our mind—all of which are reflected in our actions.

            Behind the acts of murder, adultery, divorce and swearing oaths to God are thoughts and feelings of hate, lust, spiritual laziness, and dishonesty.  Each of these vices, are toxic to who we are.  Hate and lust hinge on insecurity, a selfish desire, a need for power, and even a need for domination over another person or our environment.  Spiritual laziness leads us to give up on prayer, relationships and fighting the good fight.   Dishonesty through oaths is more about how we manipulate the laws of God to justify our innocence when we are not perfect. 

All of these toxins manipulate what is truthful into a lie and blocks our ability to understand and receive the true love of God.  These poisons act not only on our hearts and minds, but become physical much like how a disease reacts in our body.  Except, when we allow our hearts and minds to be infiltrated with hate, lust, laziness and dishonesty we end up harming others, we can make them sick, especially those we love and that cycle becomes harder and harder to cure.  All of these sins are contrary to the beatitudes because they create disorder, they are a type of violence, and they are selfish—they do not represent what it means to be humble and righteous peacemakers of the Creator. 

Today’s gospel is clearly relevant now.  It is easy to give into hate and blame others for the lack of love we feel.   It is easy to see the commandments as a legal system to justify are wrongdoings rather than reflecting on who and what we are becoming.  It is easier to make an oath invoking God’s name rather than to take the rightful blame for our faults.  It is easier to isolate ourselves from the people we love or meeting new strangers rather than working harder in growing healthy relationships.  Christ calls us not hide behind a set of legal prescriptions that protects our basic rights: the God of Jesus wants honesty, not excuses, humility not power, action not laziness and above all love not hate.  

Amen.