realmealministries.org

Lesslie Newbigin was a missionary in India during the middle of the 20th century. When he returned to the United Kingdom after a lifetime of missionary service in Asia, he was confronted with the reality that his homeland was now less Christian than it was when he had left to serve on the “mission field.” Newbiggin realized that the Western world was now just as much a mission field as the regions in which he had served as a missionary. His writing and speaking in his later years urged Western Christians to rediscover the power of the Gospel to capture the hearts of women and men. He pushed the Church to recognize the crucial role that its witness as the people of God served in engaging Westerners with the Gospel:

How is it possible that the gospel should be credible, that people should come to believe that the power, which has the last word in human affairs is represented by a man hanging on a cross? I am suggesting that the only answer, the only hermeneutic of the gospel, is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it.

Newbigin’s story and his words are crucial for engaging our biblical text. Matt 5:21-37 is drawn from the heart of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The words of our Scripture lesson are difficult ones. Through the centuries, their force have been muted by reading our text as an unachievable ideal to which Christ followers are to aspire or as an “interim ethic” only valid during the period of Jesus’ earthly ministry. But what if we are to read Jesus’ words as a portrait of what a witnessing community is supposed to look like? What if we ordered our lives together as the people of God in ways that brought Jesus’ teaching to fruition? What message would such a lifestyle send to watching world about the power of the Gospel?

Rooted In Love
Later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus will distill God’s law into two related dictums: Love God and love neighbor. These principles must underlie our engagement of our text lest we become so focused on self that we forget that the purpose of the commands is to shape God’s people into a profound witnessing community to the world.

At the core of Jesus’ teaching is love. Our text is part of a larger segment of Jesus’ teaching: 5:17-48. Jesus’ instructions reach their climax in 5:43-48 where Jesus ends by saying, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect.” The example of perfect love that Jesus provides is the observation that God provides sunlight and rain to both the righteous and unrighteous. God does not discriminate in his love. We must not either. What does a community look like that truly embodies a love for neighbor? What would it mean for our community of faith to be known by love? Jesus unpacks some of the details in our Scripture lesson.

In Matt 5:21-37, Jesus teaches on issues of forgiveness/reconciliation, genuine relationships between men and women, marriage, and solemn promises. In each case, Jesus paints a picture of what true community in God’s kingdom is supposed to entail in contrast to attempting merely to keep the letter of the law.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation (5:21-26)
The law teaches that one should not commit murder. There is nothing particularly pious or impressive about this commandment as most if not all human societies espouse this value. It is clearly a minimum standard for human communities. Duke ethicist and theologian Stanley Hauerwas has a poster on his office door with a provocative slogan from the Mennonite Central Committee that reads: “A modest proposal for peace: Let the Christians of the world resolve to stop killing each other.” Clearly the killing of others is not a Christian virtue, but communities that truly embody the kingdom do not stop at the abolition of murder. Jesus extends the commandment about murder to all ruptures of relationships between people caused by anger or tensions. In fact, in communities shaped by the ethics of Jesus, it is more important to work toward forgiveness and reconciliation than it is to offer gifts and sacrifices to God.

Communities that embody love refuse to fracture due to a lack of forgiveness. They assume that the one who causes the division will begin the work of reconciliation rather than the victim. What a remarkable community that would be where members love each other enough to sense when they have caused tension or a broken relationship and then act to mend it. Mother Teresa advice to families echoes Jesus’ words: “We must make our homes centers of compassion and forgive endlessly.”

Genuine Relationships between Men and Women (5:27-30)
The battle between men and women for power has raged since humanity’s expulsion from Eden. In the realm of sexuality, the modern Western world has found itself in endless cycles of innuendo and lust in its marketing, clothing, entertainment, and interpersonal relationships. Sex is everywhere.
Jesus’ words about adultery and lust in one’s mind have driven devout followers to extreme ascetic practices to avoid sexual sin. But at its heart, Jesus is attempting to say something profoundly beautiful about the possibilities of relationships between men and women in communities that practice the kingdom ethic of love. Our communities are to be less about serving as sexual watchdogs and more about promoting healthy relationships of mutual brotherly and sisterly love between its members.

A community of God’s dreams is one in which men and women can mix without worrying about being turned into the object of another’s lust. Our communities must become safe places for people who have been broken sexually to come for healing and hope. They must be places where the both the beautiful and the scorned can interact and serve together and where young men and women can learn of their value and worth apart from their sex appeal or lack thereof.

Marriage and Divorce (Matt 5:31-32)
Marriage has fallen on hard times in our world. Lifelong partnerships seem to be less and less common. More and more of our members have experienced the pain of divorce in their own relationships, in those of their parents, or in those of close friends. Jesus is not teaching on divorce to heap guilt on those who have suffered through a divorce. Instead, he is lifting up healthy, committed marriages as a grounding point for communities of faith. A community of God’s dreams supports families and offers love and support to those broken by fractured relationships.

Solemn Promises (5:33-37)
Communities are forged on relationships of trust where members keep their word and fulfill their promises. Jesus is not speaking against oaths, but rather is affirming the necessity of truthfulness and faithfulness as the glue that holds a community of love together. Jesus’ alternative to our litigious society is one in which each person’s “yes” really means “yes” and a person’s “no” really means “no.” Humanity craves authenticity in relationships and business transactions. There is no need for legalese or small print disclaimers in a community of God’s dreams.

Conclusion
It’s a high calling to embody the ethics of the kingdom in our communities. But the alternative is a muted witness. Have you ever craved the juicy, mouth-watering cheeseburger that you encounter during commercial breaks while watching your favorite television program? How many times have you gotten in your car the next day to visit the restaurant and ended up disappointed? Instead of the fresh, delicious sandwich in the commercial, you receive a dry burger on a stale bun with toppings that have long lost their appeal. Instead of happy, enthusiastic and helpful servers, rude and disinterested employees greet you. Instead of a pristine dining room, you are unable to find a clean table. These impressions tend to stick with you for a long time. You are less and less inclined to make a return visit. Future commercials cause you to scoff rather than tempt you to eat fast food. Likewise, it is crucial for our communities of faith to embody substance and vitality as a convincing and credible witness to the world around us. Jesus’ words call us to imagine anew what the people of God are called to be and become.

Communities shaped by Jesus’ teaching are the hope of the world. They exist to embody for the world a different type of world. What would it look like if we committed to becoming a community of God’s dreams? What would stay the same here? What would change? What if following Jesus the Messiah were the only means of truly embodying all that God desires for us to be?

I will be speaking several times this week:

Tonight (6/21) I am continuing my six week series at Winter Park First United Methodist Church (6/14, 6/21, 6/28, 7/12, 7/19, 7/26). The study meets from 7 PM to 8:30 PM. They offer dinner at 6 PM (reservations needed).

6/22 Preaching on Ps 73 at the University of Central Florida Wesley Foundation. 7 PM

6/27 Preaching at Oviedo First United Methodist Church in the morning services: 8, 9:30, 11 AM

An excellent video on preaching the Gospel in our time.

Tim Keller Feb’09: Preaching the Gospel from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

Main points:
Preaching in Western culture should be:

1) Gospel centered
2) Christ centered
3) Life Changing on the Spot
4) Culturally transforming

The resurrection scenes in Luke are profound and memorable. They build slowly toward a resounding climax. Luke 24 consists of three interlocking narratives: 1) 24:1-12 Women Find an Empty Tomb, 2) 24:13-35 Two Men Encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus, 3) 24 36-49 Jesus Appears to the Eleven. Let’s begin with some observations on Luke 24:1-12–

NRS Luke 24:1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

In the opening scene (Luke 24:1-12), a group of women including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James go to the burial place of Jesus early on the 1st day of the week (they had rested on Sabbath (23:56) and discover that Jesus’ body is gone. They are suddenly joined by two angelic beings (24:4). The angels say (24:5a-8):

NRS Luke 24:5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words…

These verses affirm several key elements about the resurrection:

1) It was a bodily resurrection. The tomb was empty. This is affirmed across the NT. To deny a bodily resurrection in favor of a spiritual resurrection is to move outside of the biblical evidence. This part of Luke’s narrative makes little sense if Jesus’ body was present at the tomb.

2) In verses 5-8, there is the beginning of a pattern (24:5-8, 25-26, 44-49) in which Jesus’ earlier words are recounted (e.g., 9:22). What happened to Jesus should not have been a surprise. It was God’s plan to which Jesus willingly submitted for Jesus to suffer and die and be raised on the third day. It becomes a central element of early Christian teaching to move toward a Christocentric reading strategy for Scripture. In other words, God’s actions through Jesus becomes the key to understanding the overall movement and message of the Scriptures. A crucial learning for us today is that this reading is not only messianic but also missional. The good news about Jesus must be shared with the nations. A key Scriptural pattern emerges: an encounter with the Risen Messiah (or a hearing of its reality) becomes an commissioning for announcing this Good News for others.

3) Resurrection creates the Church as a missional movement. The women in this story shift from mourners taking spices to the tomb to proclaimers of the Resurrection Story. This group of women (only the two Mary’s and Joanna are named) become the initial witnesses and servants of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Profoundly in the 1st century, the testimony of women was not valid in a court of law. Thus, the first witnesses to the Resurrection come from the margins of society. God entrusted the Gospel to a band of marginalized women to become his initial preachers. Mission is the shared stewardship of all followers of Jesus the Messiah. Notice the implication for preaching here: proclamation is the sharing of testimony. The women experienced the resurrection of Jesus - now they have a message to announce.

4) The proclamation of the Resurrection is received with skepticism (24:11). This is worth pondering. Sometimes we think that the ancients were gullible and believed anything. Resurrection is an anti-intuitive and supraexperiential claim. Dead men and women are not raised. Bodies do not disappear from tombs except at the hands of robbers. Yet because of the witness of these women Peter responds by running to the tomb to check it out for himself (24:12).

How do you respond to the testimony of these women?

© 2007 Brian D. Russell (Rev 2009 and 2010)

Dr. Anna Carter Florence (Assoc Professor of Homilectics) of Columbia Theological Seminary came to the Orlando campus of Asbury Theological Seminary to participate in our Distinguished Preacher series.

She delivered a powerful sermon on Acts 12: “Out of Your Mind” (Listen to the message: March 25, 2010 Asbury Florida Chapel)

Carter is author of Preaching as Testimony. This is an excellent read and breaks new ground for thinking about the act of preaching as “testimony.” The language of testimony comes from women “preachers” who were excluded from “preaching” due to their sex and instead would stand up to give “testimony.” Carter skillfully thinks through the implications of the language of testimony, connects it to the hermeneutical work of Ricoeur and Brueggemann, and offers a new vision for the sort of preaching that both church and world desperately need to hear. She also reflects powerfully and movingly on the “calling” and “authority” of the preacher. I recommend this text for seasoned preachers or for those sensing a “call” to preach (male or female).

Here is a taste of her writing style (Parts 3 and 4 of her thesis):

3. Preaching in the tradition of testimony offers another view of the role of experience in proclamation. The preacher is called to engage the liberating power of God’s Word in the biblical text and in life, and then to narrate and confess what she has seen and believed in that experience.
4. Preaching in the tradition of testimony offers us a view of what it takes to become a preacher and to be a preacher: by rooting ourselves so deeply in text and context that we embody the Word we proclaim–and must testify to what we have seen and believed. Preaching in the testimony tradition calls us to live in and live out the Word of God.

I preached in Chapel on the Orlando campus of Asbury Theological Seminary today.

Here is a link to the Audio. Select my sermon from March 18 “Conversations in the Valley”.

If you are interested, here are some notes that I put together in preparation. The notes are not comprehensive of the content of the message but give some hints.

Conversations in the Valley: A Life that Demands Explanation
1 Samuel 17 records the familiar narrative of David slaying Goliath with a sling and a rock. This story enters our cultural lexicon as a classic underdog tale. But there is much more to this story. At its heart, it is missional. God is at work in Israel, and David steps into a moment that intersects with God’s work in the world.

This story is also full of irony and contrast. David the youngest son of Jesse slays the giant and is propelled toward a future that includes serving as king of Israel. On the other hand, the powerful and known at the time–the army and King Saul shirk responsibility and are debilitated by fear of Goliath.
Who was Goliath? He was a fearsome warrior of uncommon size. He dwarfed normal men. The very weapons that he deployed were massive and formidable. His body armor alone weighed 125 lbs. His spearhead was 15 lbs. This monster of a champion stood between Israel and victory.

Why did David volunteer to fight the giant when other more experienced warriors including his own brothers did not? As we answer this question, we can gain valuable insight into what a life that demands explanation looks like…

1) David Acts because He understands the True Problem
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26) also vv. 36 and 45
David recognized the problem for what it truly represented. It was not about Goliath, the Philistines, Israel, or even victory. The issue was God. Israel was God’s people through whom God desired to bless the nations (Gen 12:3; Exod 19:4-6). David stepped into the moment because he sensed that God’s mission was at stake.

2) David Acts Despite Questions of Motive
David receives a less than hospitable welcome from his own brothers.
Eliab: “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle? (17:28)
David was accused of impure motives by his own brothers. Notice the phrase “how wicked your heart is.” “Heart” points to the center of one’s volition. This language is vital because it resonates with language that we have encountered earlier in 1 Samuel:
“the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart” 1 Sam 13:14
1 Samuel 12:24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart;
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 16:7
God is very concerned with one’s intentions. David has been approved by God as a “man after his own heart.” David can move through the accusations of others because he has already passed muster with the only personal being who matters: God.
Whom do we allow to paralyze us with questions of motive? Are we secure in our calling from God?

3) David Acts Despite the Expressed Doubts of Others
Saul is incredulous at David’s offer to fight.
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”?33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”?34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,?35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.?36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
David is able to move forward on his mission because he recognizes that he is acting on behalf of God. Yes, he is only a boy. Yes, Goliath has been a warrior from his youth. None of these matters. David is a man on a mission.
Whose doubts are paralyzing you?

4) David Acts Out of a Life of faithfulness
David had been a shepherd for all his life. This was not glamorous work. He was the youngest of Jesse’s sons. While his brothers were off at war, he was keeping sheep. But David was already preparing for a future because he was faithful as a shepherd. He had already learned about risk and danger by confronting and killing a bear and lion that had threatened his flock. These were extraordinary acts because they demonstrated the depths of David’s faithfulness in small matters. Why risk one’s neck for a sheep? Yet David did and these actions prepared him for his day with Goliath.
Are we faithful in small things? Do we see our lives as preparation for God’s future or do we lament our own lack of opportunities?

5) David Acts for the Mission of God
Goliath thinks that he is merely fighting another battle. In fact, he is underwhelmed by the site of David.
43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.?44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”?45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.?46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.?47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
David on the other hand frames the insuing battle in terms of God’s mission. It is not about David and Goliath. It is about the whole world knowing that there is a God in Israel. Living a life that demands explanation always serves as a witness to the greatness and glory of God.

6) A Life that Demands Explanation
After killing Goliath, David was brought before Saul.
Listen carefully to Saul’s response:
Whose son are you, young man? v. 58
Saul asks a profound question. David identifies himself as the son of Jesse, but this doesn’t explain what Saul just witnessed. It was more than merely a question of genealogy. David lived a life that demanded explanation. His life pointed to God’s work in the world.
Will ours? Do our lives point to something bigger than ourselves? Do our lives incarnate for others the message and ethos of God?