I saw a bumper sticker this week that read: "I have no problem with God, it's just God's fan club that I cannot stand." That and the Gospel from Luke today reminded me again of an old saying: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" At the heart of the Gospel, the Epistle and the Hebrew Scriptures lays the Summary of the Law: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and soul and mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Let's look at the Gospel and parse it a bit. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, on his way to certain persecution and death. He looks forward, not back, and is unconcerned that he is not welcome in a Samarian village. In the first century Jesus probably meant the command "follow me" in a literal way. However, I suspect that it was far greater than that, for he was concerned that people follow his teachings in their lives and in their interactions with one another.
Notice that throughout the Gospels, Jesus does not preach himself, but the Kingdom of God. Over and over he gave examples. The Kingdom of God is like a woman who lost a coin, like a mustard seed, like a prodigal returned, and like a Samaritan who stops to help. When he asked the two to follow him one claimed he must bury his father. He meant, most probably, that he had to wait until his father died. The Jews buried their dead immediately so, if his father had just died it is unlikely that he would have been interacting with Jesus at all. Another claimed he must say farewell to his family and friends – to put his house in order. In each case, God, in Jesus Christ, was relegated to a spot below family, friends and possessions. One wonders if there would be enough evidence to convict them.
From Jesus' teachings we learn that the Kingdom of God, in its fullest, would be totally centered upon our all loving Creator God, not on things of the world. It would be all-inclusive with a preference for the poor and the outcast. It would be evidenced by agape love for self, one another and for God. It would be active, not passive, with each person reaching out to create a better life for all.
Remember the sadness of the rich, young man who could not bring himself to follow Jesus and give up the God of mammon? How often are we like that?
When my Mother died, my Father asked we three sisters, to go through and clean out her clothing before we left for our respective homes. He couldn't bear to do it. It was awful…she was first generation American, a product of the depression. I think she had saved every single pair of shoes that she had ever owned. When we went through her jewelry we decided that we would share three rings, as I have perhaps told you, exchanging them every year on her birthday.
There were two powerful lessons for me in that experience. First, we leave this world with absolutely nothing at all. We can accumulate and stash and pile up, but what we may have treasured another will see as less valuable. As an extension, it was clear to me that we are custodians of that which we love – whether it is our beloved children, our spouse, our family and friends or our stuff – it is only ours for a heartbeat. Those who have raised children know that quality child-raising involves appropriate letting go from the day they are born. (I risk saying this in front of my son who is in the congregation this morning. I am sure he is thinking: "Well, she blew that one!") When we look at what we value, if arrested is there enough evidence to convict us?
I was deeply troubled by the recent Supreme Court decision regarding race and the schools. It feels like it could undermine seriously the landmark decision of Brown vs. the Board of Education. It was decided by justices who are professed Christians. One wonders if arrested as Christians there would be enough evidence to convict them.
They aren't alone…what about the systematic rolling back of environmental protections by the Administration, the Senate and the House while we the voters stood silently by? Would there be enough evidence to convict us?
I urge you this summer to do a serious evaluation of your life. Look at what's first. Think about the Gospel imperatives in regard to the Kingdom. Examine whether you are looking back, or have set your face to the future. The Kingdom of God is at hand; it broke in with the coming of Jesus, but is yet to come in all its fullness. It is up to us, as people of God, to help to bring it to fruition. If arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you? AMEN