Readings
for Pentecost 2:
Deut. 11:18-21, 26-28; Psalm 31; Romans 3:21-25a,28; Matthew 7:21-27
May 29, 2005
The Rev. Mary B. Blessing
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Jesus said: Not everyone who SAYS to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who DOES the will of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) The Gospel of Matthew tells us it will be difficult to follow Jesus. He warns that we must do more than pay lip-service to God’s truth. We must LIVE God’s truth.
The verses we just heard are written at the end of Jesus’ very long “sermon”, which we call “The Sermon on the Mount.” You remember, the “sermon” that has the “Beatitudes”, or “blessings” , like “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven”, and “blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,” and “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5: 3;5;9) With these “blessings”, Jesus turns traditional beliefs upside down!
And it gets better: He tells his followers that the old adage, “an eye
for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” will no longer do—now, he says,
If anyone strikes you on the cheek, you are to “turn the other cheek”.
It is not good enough to simply love your neighbor, now Jesus says “Love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44)
Jesus warns his followers that it will not be easy to be his disciple. To be
a disciple means to be a “learner”. One who learns from a mentor
who shows the disciple the way. A “learner” of Jesus, a “disciple”
of Jesus, is not just someone who learns ABOUT spiritual truth, but is someone
who learns and incorporates this learning into living reality. In these final
words of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls people to radical discipleship.
Disciples of Jesus must build a solid foundation of truth-- truth by truth, rock by rock, -- within their souls. This is the only way to live an authentic Christian life. And when a threat to that Christian life comes their way, their souls are grounded in a solid foundation of truth that helps them withstand storms of falsehood, storms of evil.
Since it is Memorial Day weekend I wish to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country, and to remind us why our country pauses to set aside time to remember those who have died in war. Ever since 1868, following the American Civil War, when General John Logan designated May 30 as a day for “…decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country…”, we have paused to remember those who gave their lives for freedom and justice. General Logan ordered war orphans and veterans to place flowers on the graves of Civil War dead at Arlington National Cemetery, commemorating the over 600,000 who died fighting in that bloodiest of all American wars. Today, soldiers carry out orders to place a flag on each grave, carefully measuring out one step from the headstone, placing each flag precisely.
Last month, while visiting Virginia, I made a personal pilgrimage to visit my grandfather’s grave at Arlington Cemetery. He was a WWI veteran. He did not die in battle, he was not a war hero, but a simple sergeant who served his country honorably. He and my grandmother are among the thousands of Americans buried in this cemetery made famous by National heroes and U.S. Presidents. Our family holds a certain pride knowing my grandparents are buried alongside others who gave their lives fighting for what they believed to be God’s truth—to build a country where all are given a choice to live free.
This Memorial Day, 2005, I reflect upon these war dead with a certain trepidation. One of the rocks of truth which Jesus used to call me to discipleship is the beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” (Mt. 5:9) Now, I know there are some of us here who do not think preaching about war is appropriate. You may not agree with my sense of calling to take Jesus’ radical discipleship to be a peacemaker; perhaps your calling has been to go to war to ensure democratic freedom for the U.S. and other countries. Perhaps your theology teaches you that there is justification for war, and that is to be honored.
But, in any case, whatever your theology of war, this Memorial Day, our country remembers another 1,656+ American soldiers killed since March 19, 2003, when the U.S. went to war in Iraq. (www.antiwar.com/casualties) We read of mothers who mourn the loss of their children--many who went to war because they truly believed it was the will of God. One Mountain View mother is going to Arlington Cemetery Monday to visit her son’s grave. He died on May 30, 2004. She now supports groups such as “Gold Star Families for Peace” and “Military Families Speak Out” because she says, “ The president has been misleading.” “[They] should have planned better.”
Veterans for Peace in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica are concerned the U.S. population is losing interest in the tragedy of this war. To raise awareness, these veterans constructed an imitation cemetery along the beach: “Arlington West”—it consists of small white crosses representing each soldier killed in Iraq. Tonight the 1656+ “Arlington West” crosses will be decorated with candles: one lit next to each cross representing the American dead, encircled by over 100,000 candles representing the Iraqi believed dead since the beginning of this war.
A profound sadness fills my heart as I consider the thousands of lives lost in this war. It is a sadness that has the potential to wash the foundations of my faith, as “the rain falls, and the floods come, and the winds blow and beat against my soul”. But my soul is not washed away. The witness of others, grounded in the rock solid truth of peace as a powerful force against evil, gives my soul strength. As I reflect upon those who died in war, I also remember victories of peaceful protest that brought down mighty forces, e.g. South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In the face of massacre of his beloved people in Johannesburg, Desmond Tutu stood firm on the rock of Jesus’ teachings on peacemaking. Speaking to a frightened, angry congregation, he said., 'Do not hate. Let us choose the peaceful way to freedom'. And during an ecumenical service at St. George’s Cathedral, the South African Security Police barged into the cathedral as the Archbishop was preaching. Tutu stopped speaking and just looked intently at the intruders as they lined the walls of the cathedral. They were waiting for him to say something provocative, against the ruling government that supported apartheid—hoping for an excuse to arrest him. “After meeting their eyes with his in a steely gaze, [Tutu] acknowledged their power (“you are powerful, very powerful”) but reminded them that he served a higher power greater than their political authority….Then, Archbishop Desmond Tutu told the South African police “Since you have already lost, I invite you today to come and join the winning side!” The police stopped in their tracks. The congregation’s response was electric! They were transformed by the truth they heard and saw proclaimed. They jumped to their feet in praise of God, and began DANCING out to the streets! Startled police didn’t know what to do but to back down and let the people of South Africa dance for peace. (Jim Wallis, God’s Politics, p.348)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a true RADICAL DISCIPLE of Jesus Christ. He understood what Jesus taught on that Mountain nearly 2000 years before. Desmond Tutu grounded his faith in the Lord who said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:44) Desmond Tutu didn’t just listen to the words of Jesus, he believed them and he acted on them.
As we go forth this Memorial Day to commemorate those who gave their lives in service to our country, let us remember that to be a Disciple of Jesus, we are called not to just hear the words of Jesus, but to act upon them as living truths.
AMEN.
| Updated 5/30/05 |
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