SERMON: "A Good Question" Matthew Matthew 22, 34:39 and Psalm 90, 1:6
The Gospel reading today began with these words:
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got
together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this
question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
You have heard the answer that Jesus gave.
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as
yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments."
This is by far my favorite verse in the Bible.
It was this verse that began my walk with Jesus.
I lived for several years in Boulder, Colorado. It is a beautiful city with a lot to offer for visitors and residents. It has the mountains with skiing, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting or rock climbing. There is the Boulder Mall with restaurants and shopping or McGuckin’s hardware where you can find any tool or part you need. There is the University of Colorado with its classes and sports and in the summer the internationally famous Shakespeare festival. Boulder is a place that encourages growing physically, intellectually and spiritually.
I tried rock climbing and quickly learned that if you’re knees are knocking on the ground looking up at the vertical face of a mountain that their still going to be knocking when your climbing. I tried meditation – breathing in and out as the instructor taught us and tried to clear my mind of all thoughts. But I couldn’t stop thinking thoughts like – why didn’t the Broncos go for it on 4th down when they were on the Raiders 30 yard line?
At some point in my spiritual journey I reached the conclusion that I was a Christian. There was no St. Paul on the road to Damascus moment. A moment when St. Paul was blinded and rescued by Ananias. My moment was more of realizing I didn’t like tofu. If you become interested in other religions you quickly realize that they can’t be separated from the cultures. Most of the Eastern religions lean toward vegetarianism, which is where I got introduced to tofu. Tofu is a product of soybeans or rather it a product of coagulating soy milk and then pressing the curds into blocks. Beans? We don’t even put beans in our chili in Texas. And coagulating soy milk into curds? And people make fun of Texans because we deep fat fry butter at the State Fair. What I mean to say is this – there are a lot of insights and wisdom to be gained from studying the Buddhist faith, but in the end I couldn’t embrace it – it wasn’t a part of my culture. I was a kid who had roots in Wisconsin and understood eating a slice of apple pie with a slice of cheddar cheese on it. My cooking philosophy was if you can’t grill it or smoke it isn’t worth eating.
And so I concluded I had to be a Christian. And as part of being Christian I was going to read the Bible. I have loved to read since I was a child
The essentials of what we teach today - the core of what we preach - and
what we urge you to accept and practice as you respond to the Good News of
Jesus Christ are all found in these summaries of what the law and the
prophets are about.
We are called to love God, in whose image we are made
- with all our heart, soul, mind and strength
and to love our neighbors, who are made in the image of God just as are we
- as ourselves, as if they were us.
The Apostle John in his First Letter to the Churches in Asia sets forth the
linkage between the greatest commandment - and the second that is like it -
in this fashion.
First he says: "Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them" (I
John 4:7)
And then he says: "We love because he first loved us." and "If anyone says,
'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For
anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen,
cannot love God, whom he has not seen.' And he has given
us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his
brother. (I John 4:19-21)
So - what is this love like - this love that all who follow Christ are
called to have,
this love that is meant to grow in us as a fruit of the Spirit of God
working in our lives,
this love that is meant to be expressed in our lives as a result of
our faith in Him,
this love that is meant to flow from as a result of our
accepting God's love - God's forgiveness - God's will in our
lives.
Well today we have had the children speak to us in the words of Jesus -
showing us God's love for all people who serve in his vineyard -
showing us that God provides for everyone who comes to him - no matter how
late in the day, all that they need for that day.
We saw in the parable that they acted out that God is generous with his
love and care and acts without regard to how mortals might judge who is
worthy and who is not.
We sang about how God seeks out the sheep that have gone astray,
how God values and treasures each person whom he has made
and wants them to be safe with him.
And in the last act they presented we were reminded that the cool thing
the in thing - is not necessarily the proper thing - the right thing - the
sensible thing..
A good reminder.
I thought for the remainder of our time together today I might share with
you some thoughts about what love is like according to various children -
most of whom range from the age of 4 to the age of 8. Some of you have
seen these or heard these before - but for all of us they are good
reminders about the practical meaning of what it is to love as the
prophets and the law command - and as Jesus himself has shown us to love
in his life and in his death.
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and
paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all
the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
(Rebecca - age 8)
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You know that your name is safe in their mouth." (Billy - age 4)
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your
French fries without making them give you any of theirs." (Chrissy
- age 6)
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." (Terri - age 4)
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a
sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." (Danny
- age 7)
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop
opening presents and listen." (Bobby - age 5)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend
whom you hate." (Nikka - age 6)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it
every day." (Noelle - age 7)
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well." (Tommy - age 6)
"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken." (Elaine
- age 5)
"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he
is handsomer than Robert Redford." (Chris - age 8)
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him
alone all day." (Mary Ann - age 4)
"Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think
it's gross." (Mark - age 6)
And one last one
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if
you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." (Jessica -
age 8)
Indeed people forget.
Our job as ones who are made in God's image
Our calling as ones who have been chosen by God to be part of his family
Our duty and our privilege as ones who are followers of Jesus
is to remind others of what love is like.
By word and by action. By doing what Jesus did and believing what Jesus
believed.
Jesus loved God - and he loved the world that God made. All of it.
And so he came among us as a servant rather than as a master,
- As one who forgives and heals rather than as one who judges and destroys,
- As one who made himself poor so that others might be made rich,
- As one who was obedient to God - even when obedience meant he would
suffer and die.
- As one who trusted that God would judge rightly and reward those who
lived by faith.
You know that God first loved us.
That God is with you even now to fulfil all his promises.
Our response should be to walk humbly with him - and to do justice and love
mercy, trusting in his great mercy by which we are born anew to a living
hope.
Remind one another of what all the law and the prophets are about.
Remind one another of what love is like.
Love one another as Christ loves you.
Blessed be the name of God, day by day. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (Singing #400 at the start and the end of prayer
time)
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Lord, send your Spirit in this place;
Lord, listen to your children praying,
send us love, send us power, send us grace!
Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-6,13-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46
alt - Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18; Psalm 1
Ruth 2:1-13; 4:13-22; Ezra 9:10-10:5, 10:15; and Matthew 22:34-46