Expecting Nothing

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5And now, do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11I will provide for your there - since there are five more years of famine to come - so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.

15And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

Luke 6:27-38

27”But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.

I was talking with someone after Lunch Bunch on Tuesday, and we got to talking about hymn selections in worship. Each week, I pick the hymns for the upcoming Sunday. While sometimes they’re just my favorite hymns, and other times they’re requests from the congregation, every once and a while, every once and a while, the middle hymn is the final refrain of my sermon.

Not often, but every once in a while, I put the conclusion of my sermon into your mouths and have y’all sing the good news to which I’ve tried to point. This morning, however,

This morning we reached back two months and grabbed a Christmas hymn, and lifted our voices out of season to sing “What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping.” This is the child who grew up to fulfill God’s promises. “But I say to you that listen, Love you enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

The warm feelings of Christmas have consequences, and they don’t stop when the decorations and wrapping paper finally make it back into the attic. The Son of Mary is also the Son of Man. “If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.”

So this Sunday, our opening hymn is also the introduction to the sermon. Remember when we all cooed at how cute the little baby is? Remember when we sang silent night, holy night? The calm and quiet has given way to commandments and challenging faith. “Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

This, this is Christ the king, whom shepherds guarded and angels sang. This commandment is difficult, it cuts across the grain of human nature. 

Human nature is to love those who love us. Human nature is to do good to those who do good to us. Human nature is to lend to those from whom we hope to receive. None of those are bad things, they’re just the bare minimum. Doing these things makes us feel good about ourselves. But it leads to the divided culture in which we live.

If I love those who love me, then we end up with a very loving group, but it becomes almost impossible for anyone new to join that group. The love becomes a barrier, and the group closes itself off from the world. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” When we do good to those who do good to us, we end up with a group that thinks of itself as warm and generous, but nobody else knows the goodness they can do, and the needs around us are increasingly unmet. “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” When we lend only to those from whom we hope to receive, then we end up sharing things, but only with those whose gifts we value. Those who don’t fit, who have little to offer, or things to offer we hadn’t considered, are excluded. “If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.”

The whole fabric of human society is built on these kinds of social contracts. I will love you, if you love me. I will do good to you, if you do good to me. I will lend to you if you will return to me. But the social contracts are stained by the same sin that makes our salvation necessary. Two political parties who see one another as the enemy are the result. Divided groups who refuse to do good because there’s a chance the good might benefit one group more than the other. Haves and Have-nots grow increasingly distant from one another and each begins to resent the other.

It’s human nature to expect something in return for our efforts. We expect a reward for our good works. We expect others to get punished for their failures. We go to heaven, our enemies go to hell. It’s human nature to expect that. 

But then we look again, more closely, at this passage.

There’s no if/then in this passage. Jesus’s verbs for how his listeners ought to act are not in the mood for that conditional possibility. We do not trade or bargain for the reward we are promised. We only receive what God has given us, “for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” God has elected to be merciful to us unconditionally. “Christian behavior and relationships are prompted by the God we worship who does not react but acts in love and grace toward all.”

Jesus is the embodied love of God. His command is for us to embody our love. Speaking love is not enough. Thinking love is not enough. Feeling love is not enough. Embodied love takes you mind, your heart, your cheek, your shirt, your generosity, your goods, your whole self. If you do all of these things, you can still expect nothing to change. Faith is not about changing the world, that’s God’s office. Faith is about responding to what God is doing in the world, especially the mercy God has already given us. When a Christian acts like a Christian, we’re not investing in good behavior, we’re showing grace. We are saying “this, this is Christ the king.” Loving even through he knows it will lead to his execution. Showing kindness to the ungrateful and the wicked is how the king of kings salvation brings.

Sometimes, loving our enemies will change them. But not often. Jesus tells us that we’re supposed to love them expecting nothing in return. After all, he loved his enemies from the very beginning, and the crowds still turned on him before the end. Sometimes loving our enemies will change them, but much more often, loving our enemies changes us. Loving our enemies brings us more closely in line with the will of God who loves us, God who is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

You do not belong to your abuser, your hater, your curser, or your enemy. You belong to God in Christ. Their abuse does not define you. Their hatred does not limit you. Their curses and opposition don’t weaken you. You belong to God in Christ, who frees you to love them as Christ loves you.

Do what Jesus tells us to do, not because we’ll earn some new reward or avoid some new punishment. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.” We have already been shown grace, kindness, and steadfast love beyond what we could ask or even imagine. Do what Jesus commands because he’s Jesus, the embodiment of God’s love, who has claimed you forever even though we had him executed for challenging our human nature. God has chosen to love you, to love y’all, to love us, simply because God chooses to. Therefore, as Jesus promises, “Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” God has already redeemed us. So let’s act like it.

Woe Now!

Jeremiah 15:5-10

5Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, or who will bemoan you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?

6You have rejected me, says the LORD, you are going backward; so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you - I am weary of relenting.

7I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them, I have destroyed my people; they did not turn from their ways.

8Their widows became more numerous than the sand of the seas; I have brought against the mothers of youths a destroyer at noonday; I have made anguish and terror fall upon her suddenly.

9She who bore seven has languished; she has swooned away; her sun went down while it was yet day; she has been shamed and disgraced. And the rest of them I will give to the sword before their enemies, says the LORD.

10Woe is me, my mother, that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

Luke 6:17-26

17He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

24But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.

Empty Nets Filled

Haggai 2:1-9

In the second year of King Darius, 1 in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: 2 Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, 3 Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? 4 Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, 5 according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. 6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; 7 and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.

This is the Word of the LORD.

Thanks be to God.

Spiritual Gifts

John 2:1-11

1On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. 

9When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." 

11Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

I Corinthians 12:1-11

1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 

7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.

Ministry and Economics: How Impulsive Politics Hurts my Community

Hi.

I'm Pastor Joseph. I lead a small PC(USA) Congregation about 30 minutes west of Charlotte, NC. Sometimes I wear a kilt to work. I only wear the green hat when we're celebrating St. Patrick's Day, but the kilt is semi-regular.

I love Jesus, I love my family, I love my congregation, I love my community. I'm grateful to be an American.

But the political climate right now is actively interfering with my congregation's ability to do its job. I'd like to break that down. First, a couple of caveats:

1. My criticism is not limited to either major political party. All sin, all fall short of the glory of God. Likewise, God is working to do God's will through both political parties.
2. I'm not interested in blame. I'm interested in people taking responsibility for themselves, and their actions.
3. I have almost no background in economics or political science. My training is in theology (as a huge blanket term) and emotional systems.
4. The Gospel is political. That said, I'm going to try and keep this as non-partisan as possible. Where I fail, please know that I apologize, and I am eager to continue the conversation in respectful ways.

The current political climate is hindering my congregation's ability to share the love of Christ with our community by helping take care of the poor.

Right now, our political leaders are, with a few exceptions, ruled by impulsiveness and reactivity. Which means that those in charge (again, with a few exceptions) are either doing whatever feels or seems right to them at the time, or they are reacting to what's going on (by doing whatever feels or seems right to them at the time). This is bad. It's what we, as a democracy, have chosen for ourselves, but it's bad. It has led to a volatile stock market, and has led to a government shutdown.

My congregation supports local crisis ministries. Like many small churches, we can't do much, but when we pool our resources together we can make a much larger impact on those who need it. Unlike many small churches, we are blessed with a large endowment. This is the generosity of previous generations, invested wisely so that the ministry of our members may outlast them. Most of our financial support of our local crisis ministry comes from the growth of that endowment.

The stock market wasn't good to us in 2018. It wasn't good to a lot of people in 2018. With our investments, we're trying to help people keep their lights on, or not get evicted, or help pay for an unexpected funeral. When the stock market loses money, as it did in 2018, supporting that ministry becomes much more complicated. We cannot write the big check when there's no growth in the fund.

Here's what that looked like. I used https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/djia/charts

One of the reasons the stock market did poorly in 2018 is that the political climate is so unpredictable right now. Investment is an emotional process, and any economist will tell you that things tighten up when people are scared. Nobody wants to make a bad investment, and when the political climate is all over the place, it's hard to know what is a bad investment, so the stock market goes down.

Impulsive politics leads to poor stock performance. Poor stock performance means the local crisis ministry will not have as many resources. Fewer resources mean than the people in my community who need help will have a harder time finding it. Impulsive politics hurts poor people.

But the stock market is not the economy, right? Unemployment is low, wages are rising, maybe there won't be as much need this year!

Isn't it pretty to think so...

As of this writing, the government is in the midst of the longest shutdown in our history. Not every part of the government is affected, but some VERY important parts are. Federal Workers are either furloughed (on leave without pay, but are limited on travel and other employment options) or are working without pay.

These Federal Workers will need help during the shutdown. Maybe they'll be able to pay it forward once they get back pay, but they need help in the meantime keeping their bills paid, and buying food and stuff that can't be put on hold indefinitely.

These Federal Workers are suffering because of the impulsive and reactive political climate. They want to work. They want to be paid for their work. Their work matters. Don't let anyone tell you, or them, otherwise. They're out of work because the legislative branch and the executive branch have not passed a budget for their department. I have my opinion over whose fault that is, but that's my business.

These Federal Workers are a new group in need. But they're not the biggest need for the crisis ministry my congregation supports. Food stamp programs are also affected by the shutdown. 

A friend of mine shared this flyer on Facebook.

People on food stamps have been given money for a certain time, but they do no know when the next time they will have money for food will be. They are being urged to stretch their food stamp funds by visiting food pantries and crisis assistance ministries first, and then using their food stamps to fill in the gaps.

This means the crisis assistance ministry is about to have INCREASED need, at the same time that they will have DECREASED ability to help.

Impulsive Politics leads to government shutdowns. Government Shutdowns mean greater need from non-profits. Greater need from non-profits means that the Crisis Ministry's limited resources will be exhausted faster. Impulsive Politics makes it harder to help.

I lead a congregation that and has members of both major party affiliations. I love them all. I have voted for candidates from both major parties, and will do so again in the future. But the things that happen politically have real consequences for people in my neighborhood. My congregation will continue to be faithful, but if we could make the political climate more principled, our faith could have a much bigger impact on helping those who need it most.

Pray for them, pray for us. Remember that in this country we have a right to petition our government.

By Another Road

Isaiah 60:1-6

1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 

2For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 

3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 

4Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms. 

5Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, a because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 

6A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

Matthew 2:1-12

1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 

4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" 

7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 

9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was 10When they saw that the star had stopped, g they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.

The Days are Surely Coming

Jeremiah 33:14-16

14The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

Luke 21:25-36

25”There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

34Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.