Sermon Sunday September 2, 2007
Fourteenth Subnday after Pentecost
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
So who do Jesus' words from this morning's Gospel lesson make you think of? In this morning's lesson tells you that all who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Is there anyone in particular that this makes you think of?
If you watch the news then you've probably heard the stories about the US senator from Idaho who was recently arrested for soliciting a male prostitute. Maybe those words from Jesus this morning make you think of that. Or if you're a sports fan, maybe you hear the words of Jesus this morning and the first thing that you think of is Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons, who earlier this week pleaded guilty to dog-fighting charges.
Or maybe the image that comes to mind is more one of people who exalt themselves and still need to be humbled. I mean, it would be hard to watch one of the entertainment award shows, like the Oscars or the Grammies, and not feel that some of our celebrities could stand to be knocked down a peg or two, especially when they try to pass themselves off as experts in something that really has nothing to do with acting or singing or whatever it is that they actually do.
Certainly one can see in all of those examples, situations that could quite easily be understood as cases of the self-exalted being humbled or needing to be humbled. So, how do you feel about yourself when you see these cases of the self-exalted being humbled? Do you feel sympathy for the individuals?? Do you feel like justice is being served? Maybe there is even a little part of you that enjoys seeing the mighty being knocked down. Do you even think to yourself 'Well I sure wouldn't be that stupid and careless if I were in their position.'
And so you can see that in the face of the mighty and the self-exalted being humbled, more than likely it is your tendency, not to humble yourself but to exalt yourself. Your tendency is not to enter into the humility of those who have been shamed or humbled, but to say to them 'You had this coming' or 'I wouldn't have made those kinds of mistakes if I were in your position.'
"Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted." This goes against so many of the values and ideologies that our culture embraces. We're not supposed to humble ourselves. C'mon we're American, we're supposed to pull ourselves up by our boot-straps and earn our own way and not let anyone get in the way of that. That's the American dream isn't it?
But again here comes Jesus in His Word flipping the American dream and all our visions and expectations of what we think of as right, proper, and appropriate upside-down. Jesus tells you in today's lesson that you are not to sit in the place of honor, but rather you are to go and sit at the lowest place. He shows in His word for you today that it is better to go to the lowest place and then to be called up to the place of honor, rather than to go to the place of honor and be sent down, and thus suffer great shame and embarrassment.
But is this simply about avoiding shame and embarrassment for you? In verse 12 Jesus says that when you have a meal you should not invite your friends or your relatives or your rich neighbors so that they may invite you in return, and thus you will be repaid, but rather you are to invite the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
Martin Luther refers to this as an inward honor in which there is a high regard for your neighbor. He writes of this inward honor in direct contrast to an outward honor which tends to be insincere and mercenary, and one that is ultimately demonstrated by a desire to receive something in return.
But again that is not what Jesus wants for you. Jesus frees you from being bound to an outward honor where the focus is always on you, and how your treatment of God's creation, particularly your neighbor, will eventually effect, not your neighbor but you. But again, Jesus flips that around and says "Stop it, you don't need to worry about yourself." He frees you from being curved in toward yourself so you can see your neighbor.
And in the Hebrews lesson, you can see that it is not just in His will for you to see your neighbor, but rather for you to identify with them, to see how they see. In Hebrews you are told to not neglect to show hospitality to strangers and that you are to remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them and those who are being tortured as if you yourselves were being tortured.
A modern-day paraphrase of this could basically be understood to mean that until you have walked the same path of someone else you have no right to judge or condemn them as individuals. Hold them accountable for their actions? Yes. Have an awareness of how someone’s mistakes may affect how you approach your relationship with them? Yes. But to self-righteously exalt yourself above anyone in judgment and condemnation is not your place or your calling.
The author of Hebrews gives a radical element to the importance of hospitality to strangers by saying that through hospitality to strangers, we could potentially be entertaining angels without even knowing it. This applies to anyone who has been placed in our midst, no matter what we might think about them, no matter what they might look like, no matter what we might know about them or their past. We are to assume that anyone placed in our midst is someone to whom we are called to show hospitality to and to share the love of Christ with.
So indeed we are called to humble ourselves by identifying with the struggles and challenges of our neighbors, and to care for them and to share the love of Christ with them. And this is a call to humility that in our pride, envy and self-absorption we fail to live up to everyday.
But while we fail at this, there is One who identifies with us completely. There is One who comes to us who, even though He is sinless, He became sin for us. That is why He came; to bear the burden of your sin. He did not come to be entertained. He did not come to be placed in the seat of honor. He came to humble Himself to a degree that we could not even come close to imagining. He did this not by standing above us in condemnation, but by laying down His life on the cross, where He was lifted up in glory, for you.
Daily we continue to bind ourselves to an outward honor of selfishness, and not an inward honor of selflessness. Daily we neglect our call to hospitality to our neighbor. Daily we forget and overlook those who suffer. And we judge and condemn those to whom we have no right to judge or condemn.
But praise be to God that Christ Jesus remains vigilant. Hear the words of promise in our Hebrews lesson which promise us that Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never forsakes us even to the point of death; where He continued to turn things upside down by defeating death not by avoiding but by going through it, and bringing about new life and a new reality and a new kingdom.
Nothing can drive Christ Jesus away from us. His vigilance continues as He continues to bring about His kingdom through the Word proclaimed, through baptism, through His supper, through fellowship with each other and through you. There is nothing left. Stop worrying about you, and go to your neighbor in love, humility and selflessness knowing that Christ Jesus will never forsake you.
Amen
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
So who do Jesus' words from this morning's Gospel lesson make you think of? In this morning's lesson tells you that all who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Is there anyone in particular that this makes you think of?
If you watch the news then you've probably heard the stories about the US senator from Idaho who was recently arrested for soliciting a male prostitute. Maybe those words from Jesus this morning make you think of that. Or if you're a sports fan, maybe you hear the words of Jesus this morning and the first thing that you think of is Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons, who earlier this week pleaded guilty to dog-fighting charges.
Or maybe the image that comes to mind is more one of people who exalt themselves and still need to be humbled. I mean, it would be hard to watch one of the entertainment award shows, like the Oscars or the Grammies, and not feel that some of our celebrities could stand to be knocked down a peg or two, especially when they try to pass themselves off as experts in something that really has nothing to do with acting or singing or whatever it is that they actually do.
Certainly one can see in all of those examples, situations that could quite easily be understood as cases of the self-exalted being humbled or needing to be humbled. So, how do you feel about yourself when you see these cases of the self-exalted being humbled? Do you feel sympathy for the individuals?? Do you feel like justice is being served? Maybe there is even a little part of you that enjoys seeing the mighty being knocked down. Do you even think to yourself 'Well I sure wouldn't be that stupid and careless if I were in their position.'
And so you can see that in the face of the mighty and the self-exalted being humbled, more than likely it is your tendency, not to humble yourself but to exalt yourself. Your tendency is not to enter into the humility of those who have been shamed or humbled, but to say to them 'You had this coming' or 'I wouldn't have made those kinds of mistakes if I were in your position.'
"Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted." This goes against so many of the values and ideologies that our culture embraces. We're not supposed to humble ourselves. C'mon we're American, we're supposed to pull ourselves up by our boot-straps and earn our own way and not let anyone get in the way of that. That's the American dream isn't it?
But again here comes Jesus in His Word flipping the American dream and all our visions and expectations of what we think of as right, proper, and appropriate upside-down. Jesus tells you in today's lesson that you are not to sit in the place of honor, but rather you are to go and sit at the lowest place. He shows in His word for you today that it is better to go to the lowest place and then to be called up to the place of honor, rather than to go to the place of honor and be sent down, and thus suffer great shame and embarrassment.
But is this simply about avoiding shame and embarrassment for you? In verse 12 Jesus says that when you have a meal you should not invite your friends or your relatives or your rich neighbors so that they may invite you in return, and thus you will be repaid, but rather you are to invite the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
Martin Luther refers to this as an inward honor in which there is a high regard for your neighbor. He writes of this inward honor in direct contrast to an outward honor which tends to be insincere and mercenary, and one that is ultimately demonstrated by a desire to receive something in return.
But again that is not what Jesus wants for you. Jesus frees you from being bound to an outward honor where the focus is always on you, and how your treatment of God's creation, particularly your neighbor, will eventually effect, not your neighbor but you. But again, Jesus flips that around and says "Stop it, you don't need to worry about yourself." He frees you from being curved in toward yourself so you can see your neighbor.
And in the Hebrews lesson, you can see that it is not just in His will for you to see your neighbor, but rather for you to identify with them, to see how they see. In Hebrews you are told to not neglect to show hospitality to strangers and that you are to remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them and those who are being tortured as if you yourselves were being tortured.
A modern-day paraphrase of this could basically be understood to mean that until you have walked the same path of someone else you have no right to judge or condemn them as individuals. Hold them accountable for their actions? Yes. Have an awareness of how someone’s mistakes may affect how you approach your relationship with them? Yes. But to self-righteously exalt yourself above anyone in judgment and condemnation is not your place or your calling.
The author of Hebrews gives a radical element to the importance of hospitality to strangers by saying that through hospitality to strangers, we could potentially be entertaining angels without even knowing it. This applies to anyone who has been placed in our midst, no matter what we might think about them, no matter what they might look like, no matter what we might know about them or their past. We are to assume that anyone placed in our midst is someone to whom we are called to show hospitality to and to share the love of Christ with.
So indeed we are called to humble ourselves by identifying with the struggles and challenges of our neighbors, and to care for them and to share the love of Christ with them. And this is a call to humility that in our pride, envy and self-absorption we fail to live up to everyday.
But while we fail at this, there is One who identifies with us completely. There is One who comes to us who, even though He is sinless, He became sin for us. That is why He came; to bear the burden of your sin. He did not come to be entertained. He did not come to be placed in the seat of honor. He came to humble Himself to a degree that we could not even come close to imagining. He did this not by standing above us in condemnation, but by laying down His life on the cross, where He was lifted up in glory, for you.
Daily we continue to bind ourselves to an outward honor of selfishness, and not an inward honor of selflessness. Daily we neglect our call to hospitality to our neighbor. Daily we forget and overlook those who suffer. And we judge and condemn those to whom we have no right to judge or condemn.
But praise be to God that Christ Jesus remains vigilant. Hear the words of promise in our Hebrews lesson which promise us that Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never forsakes us even to the point of death; where He continued to turn things upside down by defeating death not by avoiding but by going through it, and bringing about new life and a new reality and a new kingdom.
Nothing can drive Christ Jesus away from us. His vigilance continues as He continues to bring about His kingdom through the Word proclaimed, through baptism, through His supper, through fellowship with each other and through you. There is nothing left. Stop worrying about you, and go to your neighbor in love, humility and selflessness knowing that Christ Jesus will never forsake you.
Amen
posted by Steve at 5:12 PM
1 Comments:
Great sermon-you really it on the head. I truly heard a word of law and gospel from the same text. Jesus is the same forever, both to condemn all and to save all.
Great job!
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