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34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Matthew tells us that Jesus amazed people by talking as “one having authority, not as the teachers of the law.”
Jesus didn’t quote scripture before he spoke.
He even contradicted scripture at times: “It was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say to you…”
Jesus would say “amen, amen” before he spoke, not after. (That’s the “verily, verily” of the old King James version.)
He was declaring what was coming to be true before he said it—and with reference to no authority beyond himself.
And Jesus said things no one had ever said before.
Things like: “Love your enemies.”
Search all the ancient writers for that idea. You won’t find it. It is certainly not in the Old Testament.
“Love people that do not love you,” he said. “Love those who persecute you.”
He pushed an entirely new concept of God—a God who “is kind to the ungrateful and to the wicked.”
People had never heard anything like that before—and most of them didn’t like it.
Most people don’t like it today. Most Christians don’t like it.
That’s why people cling to biblical inerrancy. This allows them to lift the old images of God over the God we know through the teachings of Jesus.
It’s like Jesus said: “When people have tasted the new wine, they say the old is better.”
Jesus is not all that popular. Many Christians pay little attention to him.
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Sermon on the Sunday after this one: What Jesus Said about the Gay Issue.
Did he talk about it?
Yes, of course.
You don’t need the sermon I will be preaching Sunday after this, but many beyond our church do. Ignorance is rampant. Ugliness is growing. We need to make it clear that Jesus was aware that people are different, and differences must be accommodated.
We need to continue to say that “gay” and “straight” are not categories God cares about.
They are differences that make no difference to God.
Although we don’t need to be convinced, I think all of us will be interested in some remarkable scripture in Matthew.
Following that sermon, I will begin the series I talked about Sunday.
Mary has been in Puerto Rico because of her serious addiction—to golf! She has been helping a friend run a tournament.
(I agree with Mark Twain: “Golf is one way to ruin a good walk.”)
But Mary is back to preach for us Sunday as we begin the eventful month of November.
We will gather at the Lord’s table.
You will have a chance to turn in the name of someone you loved and lost this year. We will read out the names in the service, along with those in our church who have passed since November a year ago.
All Saints Sunday.
Julian Rodriquez will sing his first solo for us.
Kristi is out, so Blake will play the whole service for us.
I hope you are looking forward to the grace of Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas in our church.
God bless—MB
(Hey!—remember breakfast every week at 10:30. And don’t eat all the donuts before I get there!)
Greetings from the rain forest! I am writing to you from Puerto Rico, surrounded by palm trees, pinkish sand and…RAIN. Gallons and gallons of rain with more predicted for the remainder of the week. While I am not able to play golf, I am able to enjoy the peacefulness of the golf course and the sounds of the ocean.
When I return on Sunday, I will be bringing a message to you about the plans that the UMC has for those congregations that stayed United Methodist. If it feels like we have been having this discussion for years, we have. My first knowledge of the movement of some away from the gospel and toward exclusivity came during my last year at Perkins in 2018.
For five-plus years, our Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors have been distracted by the extremists in our congregations who, as Paul describes, “see through a glass darkly.” The verse concludes, “but then, face to face” we will see God.
I cannot wait for that moment when the risen Savior welcomes me to that plane of existence where nothing is dark, nothing is unseeable. Until that time, I am so very grateful to be loved by a congregation like Saint Matthew.
It is beginning to rain again, or it may have never stopped. Either way, I am breathing and relaxing, waiting for the sun to shine. I look forward to being with you soon.
Mary
WE HAD A WONDERFUL LESSON THIS WEEK. Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac was older when he married Rebekah. They had been married many years before Rebekah became pregnant with twins.
When they were born, they were quite different. Esau was born first, with hair, much like a robe, all over his body. Jacob was born next, holding on to Esau’s heel.
Even though they were twins, they were very different.
We had twins in class on Sunday, Bill and Cindy Wheeler’s grandsons, and their sister, Rebecca. It made talking about the twins Esau and Jacob even more interesting.
Esau was an outdoors type of guy; he loved to hunt and spend time in the fields. Jacob stayed in the house and helped his mom cook.
We discussed what was known as “a birthright.” This went to the oldest son, and they would inherit the family wealth. Esau was the oldest and would receive all the family wealth. He wasn’t too concerned with this; he wanted to be outside.
As their father Isaac was getting old, he had lost most of his sight. Their mother, Rebecca, devised a plan to have her husband, Isaac, bestow the family’s birthright on her favorite son, Jacob. She dressed Jacob with animal fur on his arms and went to Isaac to have the birthright bestowed on him.
Jacob had made a wonderful stew for the family. Esau had been out in the fields hunting; when he came in, he was very hungry and wanted something to eat right away. Jacob said he would give him a bowl of his soup if he would give him his birthright. Esau was very hungry and agreed to the request just to get a bowl of this warm delicious soup.
After Esau had the soup, I wonder what he thought.
Despite our differences, our uniqueness makes each of us a special part of God’s family. See you in church on Sunday so we can continue our travel with Esau and Jacob. Blessings