Readings for Epiphany 6C:
Psalm 1; Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 6:17-26
February 11, 2007
The Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA
“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord ...; They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.” [Jer.17]
In a few days, this nation will be celebrating Valentine’s Day; a day when symbols of affection are exchanged between loved ones. There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine’s Day. My favorite one has to do with a priest named Valentine who lived in Rome during the third century. At that time, Emperor Claudius II was in power and was having difficulty in getting men to join his army. He believed that the reason was because Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. So he cancelled all marriages and engagements. Valentine refused to obey this decree and as a priest, secretly married couples who were very much in love with one another. Once discovered, he was beaten to death and suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, around the year 270.
Since that time, Valentine’s Day has gone through many changes. Today, it has become very commercialized. And yet, I still think it is a wonderful holiday. We need to be more affectionate with one another and remember those whom we love. My only complaint about this holiday is, that it doesn’t go far enough. It is easy to be affectionate with those whom we love and care for, but how about those folks who are forgotten, on the margins, suffering, or who appear to be unlovable? How can we show them love too?
Today’s gospel calls us to move beyond erotic and brotherly love to a place of unconditional love. We call this kind of unconditional love, agape or godly love. Today’s readings are a call to carefully consider who, what, how, and why we love. The gospel calls us to love, not only our friends and partners, but also the lost, the loser, and the left behind. This kind of love is strong and tenacious, based on justice rather than feelings. This kind of love can’t be bought or sold like flowers, chocolates, or diamond rings. Using today’s biblical readings, I would like to talk about expanding our circle of love. I would like to talk about what it means to be blessed by God.
The Christian journey is a journey from a place of fear to a place of love. I do not believe that a person can get very far on this journey without being centered in God. I do not believe that we can truly respond to the demands of today’s gospel without being planted in God. So my comments will begin with Psalm 1, which we recited a few minutes ago. Psalm 1 opens up the Psalter. The Psalter is that book of the Bible, found somewhere in the middle, containing 150 psalms, beautiful Hebrew poetry that is often recited to music. Today’s psalm sets the tone for the entire Psalter: Those who are blessed or happy are those who center themselves in God and God’s ways. Those who are cursed or doomed are those who are centered on themselves. The self-centered refuse to attend to God’s teachings, thus cutting themselves off from the source of life. Being doomed is not so much a punishment, but the inevitable outcome of choosing not to be related to God. In today’s biblical readings, to be cursed or wicked is fundamentally to be self-centered rather than God-centered.
*For Psalm 1, happiness or being blessed is not about enjoying oneself but about delighting in the teachings of God. The goal of life is not to be found in self-fulfillment, but in praising God. Prosperity does not involve getting what one wants but comes from being connected to the source of life which is God. Psalm 1 is unsettling for the people of the United States because our culture promotes autonomy as the highest virtue rather than dependence on God. Wanting or needing help (whether from God or others) is taken as a sign of weakness, instability, or superstition. The effect is to produce a society of isolated selves. It is not surprising that our contemporary society of isolated selves consistently fails to produce people who are happy or feel blessed, even though we are among the wealthiest, healthiest, and most educated society in human history. [* Volume IV of the New Interpreter’s Bible]
Psalm 1 presents us with a choice: We may choose to be self-directed and self-centered and thus alienated. Or, we may choose to open ourselves up to God’s direction and God’s teaching and be blessed. The choice is always ours.
Today’s reading from the prophet Jeremiah, takes up the same theme as Psalm 1: Life with God and life without God. The difference between being blessed or cursed is the character of a person’s relationship with God. Jeremiah uses the same imagery as found in Psalm 1: Those who are blessed, those who trust in God, “are like trees planted by water, sending out is roots by the stream.” In times of drought, they will not be anxious but will continue to bear fruit. However, those who depend only on themselves, “shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes.”
Once we understand the importance of centering our lives in God, of seeing the world as God sees it, then we can better understand today’s gospel. It is a hard one. Let’s take a closer look! Today’s gospel is commonly referred to as the “Sermon on the Plain.” It contains similar material to Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” However, Luke has sharpened the edge of Jesus’ teachings on wealth and poverty by refusing to spiritualize the teachings regarding the poor. Luke is very concerned about the socio-economic condition of the people of his time.
In this particular sermon, Jesus begins by listing four blessings. Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate, exclude, and revile you.” The blessings of the poor do not glorify poverty. They simply declare God’s preferential commitment to the poor. When God’s kingdom comes in its fullness, things will be different. There will be a reversal in fortunes. The poor will be fed and their suffering will come to an end. Oppressed now, they will enjoy God’s blessings. How will this come about? Jesus hopes that those who follow him will pursue a life of peace, justice, and respect for the dignity of every human being. Is Jesus preaching a pipe dream that will never happen? Looking at the condition of the world today, some people have their doubts. But I believe that with God, all things are possible; even the transformation of the human heart from a place of fear to a place of love.
Jesus then continues his sermon with four woes or curses: “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you.” Is Jesus asking us to live in poverty, go hungry, and be miserable? Certainly not! His vision calls an end to all that degrades the dignity of human life. Is Jesus trying to threaten us? Certainly not! In his preaching, he is trying to communicate to those who are so preoccupied with their possessions that they fail to respond to God’s invitation to reach out beyond themselves. He is calling upon the privileged to divest themselves of anything that prevents their compassion for the needy. Neither the curses of Jeremiah nor the woes of Luke are punitive. They are simply the theological consequences that happen when human beings remove their trust from God and thus move themselves away from God’s blessings.
Today’s gospel is definitely counter-cultural. It is a prophetic call for justice for the poor. Being on the opposite side of the spectrum, Jesus’ words might seem harsh or even make us feel guilty. But God does not want us to feel guilty. God wants us to be generous. God does not want to punish us. God wants us to become more conscious. God wants us to cast our nets wider. To love and care for, not only our friends and family, but also the poor, the hungry, and the oppressed.
Today’s gospel offers us the possibility of being blessed, which is another way of saying being fully alive. To be planted in God’s love, means to be alive, choosing life over death. What an important decision to think about during this holiday set aside for love. Happy Valentine’s Day!
| Updated 02/12/07 |
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