Readings; Lev 19.1-2, 9-18; Ps 119 33- 40; 1 Cor 3 10-16, 16- end; Matt 5 38-end
Some of you know our little grandson Oscar, and any day now we are to be blessed with our second grandchild. The gift of children is an amazing and life-changing event, and a cause for celebration and thanksgiving, it’s also a sign/reminder of Gods creative power, and his love and presence in the world. But with the wonderful gift also comes the awesome responsibility of care and nurture as they grow and develop; something which at times can be quite challenging, particularly when they become teenagers. Looking back to our own childhood reminds us of the problems our own parents had to cope with in trying to keep us on the straight and narrow. My sister and I had wonderful parents who were very loving and full of wisdom. When you are young your parents always seem to know what to do in every situation, and our Dad especially was great at giving us good advice. This was fine until I became a teenager and sometimes my plans and dad’s advice didn’t quite match which often resulted in a heated discussions. Mum, who couldn’t bear any form of conflict, would intervene with that familiar saying; ‘You can’t put an old head on young shoulders’ which usually made Dad even more determined to get his point across. I’m sure you can recall similar situations from your own childhood. Being young, and discovering the world around us is an amazing time in our lives. As we grow up it seems as if the worlds our oyster, full of excitement, and we want to feel free to do our own thing, and not tied down to rules.
This conflict between the wisdom of parents that comes with age and the impetuousness of youth is nothing new. Let me read for you a few lines from The book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, written nearly 3000 years ago by Solomon, king of Israel was famed for his great wisdom;
Listen my children to a father’s instruction;
Pay attention and learn what understanding is.
What I am offering you is sound doctrine:
Do not forsake my teaching.
I too was once a child with a father, in my mother’s eyes a tender child, unique. This was what he used to teach me,
Let your heart treasure what I have to say,
Keep my principles and you will live.
The wisdom that we receive from our parents and to a large extent the wise words in the book of proverbs relate to the practical art of living and the experiences and choices we face in everyday life. But Solomon also speaks of the wisdom that comes through our faith in God. In ancient Israel, the family played an important role in the upbringing and education of children, just as it does today. In spite of the love that we enjoy from our parents we may at times find their wise words a little difficult to accept. But as we grow up we gradually begin to understand their advice and see that they were more or less right all along, and that everything they said and did was because of their love for us. I can clearly remember my own experience of beginning to understand the wisdom of my Parents advice; it was a defining moment and gradually helped me to see things much more clearly.
As we grow up we not only have the wisdom of our parents to guide and direct us; as Christians we also have the wisdom and teaching of God that comes to us in a variety of ways; worship and prayer, the beauty of nature, through one another, the holy bible, and perhaps most notably from Jesus example and teaching found in the gospels. Now some people would argue that doing the will of our parents and living according the will of God is completely different. But is it? Doing what we believe to be right is not always easy; doing things that we find hard to accept or understand, whether from our parents or God is often even more difficult.
The gospel reading that we heard earlier is a good example of this dilemma, and Jesus words have puzzled Christians throughout the history of the church.
"Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven."
How literally did Jesus intend this teaching to be understood? Martin Luther one of the great figures of the reformation thought that this only applied within the church community, and that in the world outside natural law prevailed. Perhaps the most popular interpretation is that whilst we should strive to live by these principles there are occasions when in the interests of society it’s necessary to bring wrong doers to justice. It is a fact that the society in which we are fortunate to live is largely based on the principles and teachings of Jesus. Justice, equal rights, the legal system, the welfare state, and almost every good aspect of life in our communities find their origins in Jesus words and actions during his earthly ministry.
One only has to watch the news on TV to realize that there are many people around the world who would give anything to enjoy the peace and freedom with which we are blessed. In spite of this there are still many injustices in this country, and around the world, and we are left wondering how Jesus actually meant us to interpret his teaching, not only as a community, buts also as individuals.
Today’s gospel reading is taken from the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus spoke to the vast crowds of followers and his disciples from a hillside in Galilee about the coming of Gods Kingdom. This setting had all the makings of a political rally, and the founding of a new movement. Many of those present thought because of his miracles and teaching that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and was going to announce a revolution that would overthrow the Roman occupation of Israel and herald a new era of prosperity and freedom for its people. But Jesus words spoke not of a revolution against the Romans, but one that would affect the individual, and require them to see world and each other in a completely different way, that is through the eyes of God. For many Christians the Sermon on the Mount is the centre of Christianity in that Jesus sets out how we should live our lives in order to bring the kingdom of heaven into the world. It is said that the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he spoke as one with authority.
Perhaps it’s not surprising, since everything Jesus taught his followers in words he had already demonstrated through actions in his ministry. In other words he spoke from the experience of doing the perfect will of God. As followers of our Lord in the world today we are on a mission, a calling, to bring Gods love to everyone we meet, and into every situation. In other words we are called to follow Jesus example of love to all people. Now this is quite a daunting task, and at times it seems that God is just like our parents; in that he sometimes asks us to do things that we do not feel up to, or don’t understand. In spite of our inadequacies, our doubts, and our fears, God, because of his infinite love for us and in his infinite wisdom, has called you and me to serve him.
We are on a mission, and we are also on a journey, that one day will bring us into the very presence of God. Along the way we will face all sorts of difficulties and trials to test our faith, but we should not be daunted or disheartened. Many of those who have gone before us have experienced the same feelings. St Peter, who through fear for his life had denied even knowing Jesus after his arrest, understood this very well, and wrote of it years later in his first pastoral letter with these words;
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold – may be proved genuine. Faith and trust in Gods unfailing love and presence with us, in spite of our imperfections, is an amazing gift, and whatever the difficulties we encounter, strengthens, and sustains us as we strive to fulfil our calling as followers of his son, our saviour Jesus Christ."
I would like to close with some words from St Paul’s letter to the Hebrews that have been a source of inspiration for countless Christians;
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Amen."
