Choosing to Live Life His Way

Sermon by Father Richard Mallory 

Deuteronomy 10:17-21, Hebrews 11;8-16, Matthew 5:38-48

Good morning, everyone. It's wonderful to see you all come to church today. I am deeply touched by each of you and how much you have come to mean to me over this past year and a half as your interim rector. Your spirit, love, and care move me profoundly. As we gather as a community, I am reminded of the African proverb, "I am because we are." This speaks to the extraordinary value and importance of community, which seems to be eluding so many people these days. There is a great need to be together, to belong, to matter, and to be valued. This is something you are able to offer to your neighbors and all those in Tucson.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 34 owned slaves at one time or another. Rights were originally intended for white men. Rights for black people and women were just barely imagined thoughts; just on the edge of awareness. We get those hints when reading the correspondence between John and Abigail Adams. These letters show early advocacy for women's rights. Benjamin Franklin later became an abolitionist, petitioning Congress to end slavery.

The breaking point had arrived, much like in an abusive marriage, where exasperation leads to the realization that enough is enough. This step towards independence would have been inconceivable just a few decades earlier. It was unimaginable for many colonists to turn their backs on their native country and live without their connection to England. How could they possibly survive? The impetus to break away and the opposing desire to stay put were highly charged within individuals and the community.

The unknown author of Hebrews calls up Father Abraham, the earliest historical figure in Genesis. He, too, had to break away and leave the familiar to venture into unknown territory; like the signers of the Declaration. In both cases there is an ‘inner knowing’ that must be honored, despite the risks. The colonists risked execution as traitors while, in like fashion, Abraham ventured into the unknown, risking the obliteration of himself and his people. Leaving an abusive relationship can be likened to Abraham's journey. It often starts with no clear idea of how to manage future life. 

The signers of the Declaration were influenced by the Enlightenment also called The Age of Reason which refers to the period in history between the 1680’s and the 1810’s. The expansion of new knowledge during this time was head-spinning emphasizing reason, individualism, skepticism of authority, and the scientific method. They sought religious liberty, not necessarily a Christian nation, as many were deists and stayed away from organized religion. Their emphasis was on religious freedom not on promoting Christianity.

King George III, like an abusive husband and like tyrants and authoritarians throughout history, thought he could control the colonists. All he had to do was bear down making life more miserable for them. He was incredulous, it is said, when he saw the document proclaiming their independence. He was outraged by their declaration and dismissed their grievances and remained convinced that he could bring them back into line. The defeat at Yorktown forced him to realize his dictatorial ways were unsustainable.

The proper values for any country began to emerge in ancient Israel and became full-blown in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. “Leaders are to imitate God,” we hear in the scripture. Which God, we might ask. It is the one who seeks and executes justice for the neediest—the orphan, the widow, the stranger, the alien, and the refugee. Thus, comes the answer thundering from the ancient writings in the book of Deuteronomy. Twice we hear the admonition, "Love the stranger." This notion of radical love was prefigured in ancient teachings and fully realized in Jesus' teachings. 

He brought this message to the nation Israel referencing the time of slavery in Egypt impressing on them the importance of honoring their roots. We are descendants of those who came before us. We are the culmination of heredity and a long family history; their struggles, suffering, and accomplishments. Don’t forget about them because someone back there, for each and everyone of us, went through some enormous hardship and trauma. All of that is a part of who we are. We are to remember them so that we might humble ourselves. These words counsel us against the aggrandizement of ourselves. 

The lectionary committee chose these texts for Independence Day to highlight the creation of a violence-free world. Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount challenged conventional thinking, advocating for non-violence and love for enemies. Mahatma Gandhi read Matthew 5 every day, regarding it as the greatest instruction on non-violence.

In these teachings, Jesus shifts from "thou shalt not" to "thou shalt." He redefines established Torah teachings in the light of his radical love. He provides examples of nonviolent resistance, encouraging us to maintain our humanity and dignity even in the face of oppression.

“Do not resist an evildoer,” he says, and then gives three examples of how to do that. He brings up these three little puzzling examples; three situations extremely compelling for the people that Jesus knew and cared about in the first century who were mostly peasants and very poor with no standing in the world and very few people who could back them up.

The first one - if somebody slaps you on the right cheek, which would require being backhanded, turn the other cheek also. This is most likely coming from a superior, a slave owner, or a soldier directed at a person who is most likely kneeling in deference to a regarded superior.  The instruction  to turn the other cheek showing that the person being abused is not robbed of their dignity. Jesus is giving people agency to hold on to their humanity and to take charge of the situation. Jesus is offering another way besides fighting and simply collapsing or running away to respond to abuse.

Another example - Jesus brings up a scene in the courtroom. He says, “if somebody wants to sue you and take your coat, give them your cloak as well.” A person who has had a judgment placed against them must surrender his coat which is held until the person can pay the debt. So what does Jesus have them do? Give the coat, but give them the undergarments too. Being naked in court shames the entire system for it is shameful to see nakedness in the culture of that time and so the corruption of the system is exposed and the person being judged regains some control. 

The third example - go the extra mile. It was not uncommon for a Roman soldier to force a local to carry their pack. The Romans, by law, placed a limit of one mile on the distance a soldier could require someone to carry their pack. So, if you insist on going the second mile you're putting that bully in danger of breaking the law. You're keeping your humanity. Some scholars suggest that Jesus was pressed into this service. He walked with the soldier for a while listening to his life story and being with him, treating him as a human being. Keep treating the other person as being fully human as well as yourself. 

Then he goes on, this is where it gets so tough, Love your enemy. No violence against someone who attacks. Do not continue the downward spiral of violence. I hit you, you hit me. That is the way of chaos in the world. Somebody has got to stop that chain reaction. As Gandhi put it, an eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind. The goal is not to hurt or kill your opponent but to transform him, to convert him to non-violence and help him, and others, welcome God's reign of love and peace. 

Of course, that sounds preposterous in the way the world works, and yet, there's the wisdom teaching. It's never really been fully tried. So seldom really implemented in our lives individually, or collectively. Pray. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. And there's the ticket to being a child of the most high: loving your enemies; practicing forgiveness; keeping that dynamic  alive within you - operating down in the depths of your soul. I read authors and commentators who are far more advanced on this path than I and they promise that it can become automatic. I'm a long way from that but I know I want to get there. 

The most radical words in the Bible for the past 1,700 years and we Christians have done our best to pretend Jesus never said them. We don't wrestle with them because they're so hard. The image of a nonviolent God is a breakthrough in human history and it's happening in this moment in His teaching on that mountain on that day as the beatitudes were given.

We best inquire of ourselves, “Is my God violent or am I letting go intor non-violence and knowing and trusting in Jesus?” In effect, don't live a small life of just loving the people who love you. That's easy. Everybody does that. That's the challenge. 

The final sentence, “Be perfect therefore as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” The Greek word, telios, translated as perfect refers to completion. Be perfect means be complete. Be  whole.  Go all the way. Get on a path towards the goal of radical love that will complete your identity and make you whole; who you were created to be…born to be… a son, a daughter of the living God, free of hating your enemy. Here is the sideline core of the gospel the historic church has neglected and compromised yet it is a power that, you can clearly sense, would lessen polarization and bring harmony and peace. A passage about love, and compassion. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. We are not to be atomized separated individuals.  I am because we are. 

A policeman stops a clergyman wearing a collar for speeding pulls him over looks at the license and then says, “I'm letting you off because we're in the same line of work.”

“How so?” asks the priest. 

“We make people keep the rules.”

I suspect that is the concept of Christianity that most people have. Jesus puts the emphasis on enemy love and practicing forgiveness.   This radical love is seldom implemented in our lives, but it is a path to true freedom. We are not isolated individuals; we are a community. Each of us exists because we are part of a larger whole.

Forgiveness, love of enemy, renouncing violence in all its forms towards others, life, oneself, and even God. These are the portals, the doorways to the deepest freedom imaginable. These values are essential to reducing polarization and bringing harmony and peace. Religion is more than keeping rules; it is about living a life of freedom and radical love.

After signing the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin famously responded to a question about whether we have a monarchy or a republic with, "You have a republic if you can keep it." Similarly, when a  woman asked Jesus “Did you come to make us learn new rules or  freedom?” Jesus responded, “Oh freedom, if you live life my way.”

Amen.