The Rev. Canon John Bedingfield's sermon for October 31, 2021, Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph, LA

In the name of One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

In the Church, whether you talk about All Souls or All Saints Day, you are talking about the same thing – The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed.  Celebrations of All Souls have traditionally and historically been about remembering the departed – particularly family members.  That is why, in just a little while, we are going to read a list of those who have died, compiled from names submitted to us by members of the congregation.

It is a good thing to remember those who have gone on before.  And at this time of the year, we often get a little misty-eyed when we think back to other times and places when our loved ones were here with us.  But today we do not just think about missing the loved ones who have passed on.  We also pray for these folks because (as our Book of Common Prayer puts it), “(W)e still hold them in our love, and because we trust that in God’s presence those who have chosen to serve him will grow in his love, until they see him as he is.” 

There is something very comforting in that statement.  For one thing, it assumes that our loved ones have gone to be with God.  And although there is a huge exegetical and theological discussion we could have about this, in this sermon I will refer to that as heaven.  Now I know that for most of our relatives, their being in heaven is a given.  But face it: you have one or two whose arrival at the pearly gates is not a done deal (at least not in your mind).  But that brings me to a serious question.  Who is going to be in heaven when you get there?  

There is an old joke that goes: 

A man arrived at the gates of heaven.  St. Peter asked, “What is your denomination?”  The man said, “Methodist.”  St. Peter looked down his list, and said, “Go to mansion number 24, but be very quiet as you pass mansion 8.” 

Another man arrives at the gates of heaven.  “Denomination?”

“Lutheran.” 

“Go to mansion 18, but be very quiet as you pass mansion 8.” 

A third man arrived at the gates. “Denomination?” 

Episcopalian 

“Go to mansion 11, but be very quiet as you pass number 8.” 

The man, being an Episcopalian, couldn’t help but ask a question.  He said, “I can understand there being different places for different denominations, but why do I have to be quiet when I pass mansion number 8?” 

St. Peter said, “Well the Baptists are in mansion number 8, and they think they're the only ones here.”

Obviously, that joke will work for every denomination – just some more accurately than others.  And that is because we do not really know much of anything about heaven, not in a scientific proof sort of knowledge anyway.  Unless you are someone who has had a near-death experience and have come back to write a book you almost certainly have no firsthand experience about what heaven is like, or who its inhabitants are.  But fortunately for us, we have St. John and his famous Revelation to fill in some blanks.

The Revelation of John is apocalyptic literature, meaning that it was written to a group of people who were suffering from extreme oppression.  And it was intended to give them hope for the future, even in the midst of their suffering.  The Revelation of John was never intended to be read literally.  So do not ever let anyone tell you that they “know” something about the end of time or Jesus’ Second Coming because they have “studied the Bible.”  

While we’re on that somewhat tangential topic, recently Donna showed me a Facebook post that she had read in which the writer was trying to convince people that the writer had, indeed “studied” the Bible (the reality of which is, this person has likely read Revelation).  And as a result of this study of Scripture, the writer had a formula for everyone to follow, to ensure that they are not “left behind,” when “the rapture” occurs.  A thorough discussion of the theology behind the rapture is too long for this sermon, but suffice to say that this person knows nothing about the end of time from “studying” St. John’s Apocalypse.  Again, it is apocalyptic literature and therefore none of the images is meant to be literal.  And while there may well be a formula for getting into heaven, it probably will not be what this writer thinks.

The Apocalypse of John uses vivid images to convey to his readers some sense of what the end of time and heaven would be like.  In what we just heard, he says that he, “[L]ooked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.”  That does not mean that there will literally be multitudes of people, dressed in white with branches in their hands, standing before a literal throne, on which sits a baby sheep.  The thing that this portion of John’s revelation told him, and something he is trying to tell us, is that we cannot begin to imagine how many people will be dwelling in the nearer presence of God when this world ceases to exist.  And perhaps more importantly, we cannot say who those people will be.

Think for just a minute about who you believe might not be in heaven.  Maybe it is old uncle Merle, who is the textbook definition of “crotchety old man” – the one no one wants to sit next to at Thanksgiving.  Perhaps you were taught that the majority of people whose skin color differs from your own will never be in heaven.  Or is it those “other people” across the world who do not subscribe to our beliefs?  Maybe it is the people whose sexuality, or political or social doctrines, are opposite from your “correct” views?  No.  Wait.  I know.  It’s those lazy, shiftless, poor people who have such a sense of entitlement.  Those people cannot possibly have earned their way into the same heaven as us, right?  The answer to all of those questions is an emphatic “No!” at least if we believe what the Apostle John tells us.  We are not the judges of anyone else’s fitness for eternal life.  

Jesus died and rose again – one time for all.  Jesus’ sacrifice was wholly sufficient to wipe away the sins of the entire world (past, present, and future), thereby making eternal life a real hope for us all.  When John said all nations, tribes, people, and languages, that was a completely and totally inclusive statement, meant to exclude absolutely no one.

There is a poem that made its way around the internet world a while back.  It is called Heaven’s Surprise, and I believe it was written by a man named Rod Hemphill.  It goes like this.

I was shocked, confused, bewildered as I entered Heaven's door, 

Not by the beauty of it all, nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven who made me sputter and gasp-- 

The thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade who swiped my lunch money twice. 

Next to him was my old neighbor who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought was rotting away in hell, 

Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal? I would love to hear your take. 

How'd all these sinners get up here? God must've made a mistake.

'And why's everyone so quiet, so somber - give me a clue.' 

'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock. No one thought they'd be seeing you.' 

As we pray for all our beloved relatives who have gone on to the nearer presence of God, let us take some time to pray for all those whom we have never thought would get to heaven.  And then let us pray that those people in heaven are praying for us.

Amen.

[All Saints A Sermon 103121, Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10, 22,1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12]

The Rev. Canon John Bedingfield's sermon from October 17, 2021

    We have been in this cycle of readings from Mark’s Gospel, for the last several weeks where Jesus keeps predicting his own death and telling the Disciples what is expected of them, after he is gone.  Today’s admonition is what my grandma from Forney, Texas used to say: “ Don’t get above your raisn’ boy.”  There is absolutely no doubt that Jesus was using the first century version of that saying in this morning’s reading.

A number of years ago, a friend sent me an email with a link to a new web service called “YouTube.”  I followed the link and found this new video service.  And when I clicked “play,” on the video, a story from Sports Illustrated began to play.  It was about a father and son, Dick and Rick Hoyt.  Rick was born in 1962, with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.  His brain went without oxygen long enough for him to have been born with cerebral palsy.  He has never been able to use his limbs and he cannot speak.  But His mother and father never gave up on Rick.  They didn’t institutionalize him when they were told to.  They eventually took him to Tufts University and convinced the engineering department there to help them find a way for Rick to communicate.  They created a computer whose keyboard is activated by his pushing the side of his head against a single button.  With this giant “mouse,” he could actually type.  

Not long after Rick began to communicate this way, some kids in his high school organized a race to try to raise money for a classmate who had become paralyzed in an accident.  Rick typed out, “I’d like to do that.” and his dad decided to make it happen.  Even though Dick was in very poor, “middle aged man shape,” he loaded Rick into a wheelchair and pushed him in the race.  Rick told his dad, about that day, “when we were running, I felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore.”  And the pattern was set.  After that, they ran in countless races, even qualifying for the prestigious Boston marathon many times.  Their best marathon time in Boston was only 35 minutes slower than the winner of the race.  That led to triathlons, including the grueling Ironman in Hawaii.  They competed in more than 2000 triathlons.  

Rick ultimately graduated from college, went to work and got an apartment on his own, where he is assisted by a caretaker.  He enjoyed competing with his dad.  After Dick suffered a heart attack during a race – which he might not have survived had he not been in such good shape – Rick told the Sports Illustrated writer that the thing he’d like most to give his dad for his birthday was something that would remain a dream.  He said, “what I’d most like would be to let my dad sit in the chair while I push him for once.”  Dick Hoyt was a servant in the truest sense of what Jesus talked about.

Recently there has been a round of stories about a new “space race,” between Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of Amazon; Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla; and Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of Virgin Airlines.  These three men, whose combined $400b in wealth – the equivalent of the gross domestic product of the nation of Ireland — puts them in the upper echelon of wealthy and powerful people across the world, have been engaged in a competition to … I really don’t know what it is that they are trying to accomplish.  The news media says that they are trying to get people and cargo into space, cheaper and more reliably.  But the only thoughts that come to my mind in response to that are: Why? And Who asked them to?

No, I really don’t think that any of the three billionaires is called to do this for some noble purpose.  Nor do I think that any of them seriously believes that winning this space race will bring their company increased profits – as if any of the companies needed increased profits.  No.  This is all about ego and prestige.  This is about the world holding these men up and telling them that they’re great.  It is about little boys who dreamed of being astronauts now having enough money to fulfill those dreams.  And it is about the hero worship that comes along with being – or paying for the work of – astronauts.

Our Gospel lesson today has James and John (Jesus’ sibling-disciples) coming to ask that he allow them to sit with him at the head table when he comes into his kingdom –– one at Jesus’ right hand and the other at his left hand.  Jesus and his disciples were headed for Jerusalem, where the disciples thought that Jesus would become king.  When that happened, James and John wanted to sit at the head of the table with Jesus.  They wanted the two most honored seats.

Jesus had three disciples who were the closest to him.  Those three included James and John.  The third member of that favored group was Peter.  In an organization, three is a dangerous number.  When you get three people together, typically two of them will bond and the third will be the outsider.  James and John were brothers, there was a bond there.  Peter was the outsider.  By asking Jesus for the seats at his right and left, James and John were, in essence, trying to push Peter to the side.  Pretty smart, huh?  Only two people could sit next to the boss, so James and John were trying to ensure that they were the two –– and that Peter would have to find a chair somewhere further down the table.

Naturally, Jesus knew exactly what was going on, so he asked James and John a question:  “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”  Jesus was asking James and John if they were able to share his fate.  Showing incredible ego, they answered, “We are able.”  Jesus explained that they would share his fate, but he could not control who would be on his right and left in the Kingdom.

As an aside, do you remember who shared the places at Jesus’ right and left?  It turned out to be two thieves.  That was God’s way of saying that in God's Kingdom, the old rules –– the world’s rules –– won’t apply.  In the Kingdom, there is a whole new set of rules.  Jesus tells the disciples –– and us –– exactly who the great people will be in the Kingdom of God.  “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”

Many people spend their lives trying to become rich and famous –– or rich and powerful –– or maybe just rich.  Only a few people get there. They hope and expect the rest of us envy them.  But Jesus tells us that we need not envy them, because God judges by different rules:  

–– God doesn’t honor the people who make the most money, but the people who give the most of themselves.  

God doesn’t admire takers, but givers.

–– God doesn’t honor the people who wield power, but people who love their neighbors and help those who are in need.

–– God doesn’t reward the people who are famous, but rather people with great hearts.

You don't have to be rich or famous to qualify for the honor of sitting at God’s right or left hand.  There are people in this congregation that I expect to see sitting pretty high up at Jesus’ table.  Those people may never be known much farther away than the Tensas Parish line.  Folks like that don't think of themselves as great.

The people in this congregation who give of themselves rather than worrying about being rich and famous, are the people whom God has sent to show the rest of us the way.  The people who give of themselves rather than trying to work toward being on the news – people like Dick Hoyt – those who show up whenever there is a need at the church or elsewhere in the community –– those who lend a hand to their neighbor when needed –– those who help the homeless or the hungry –– those who give generously for disaster relief; they are the people who will have the seats at the head of the table.  And won’t Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson be surprised to find all of “those people” in the seats of honor.

In the name of one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

[Proper 24B Sermon 101721, Isaiah 53:4-12; Psalm 91,Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45]

The Rev. Canon John Bedingfield's sermon for October 10, 2021 at Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph

 

Jesus said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”  One of my favorite seminary professors had a saying for times when Jesus spoke this way; “Now you’ve gone past preachin’ and you’ve got to meddlin’.”  And isn’t that exactly the way most of us feel when we get this lesson every third year?

This story appears in all three of the synoptic Gospels.  Each Gospel writer describes the man involved in slightly different terms.  In Matthew, he is young.  In Mark he is rich and in Luke he is a “ruler.”  So, when preachers talk about this, they usually refer to the story of the rich young ruler – sort of a short hand for a story that was obviously pretty important to the Gospel writers.  Let’s take an honest look at an uncomfortable story and see what, if any new things might be there to discover.

The rich young ruler told Jesus that he had followed The Commandments all his life.  Have you followed the Commandments all your life?  Yeah, me either.  But this guy had.  He was pure of heart, honest and forthright.  And Jesus knew it.  So Jesus, knowing all these things about the man, challenged him by saying, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”  And when the man heard what Jesus said, “he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”    Then Jesus went on to teach the Disciples about rich people having more trouble getting into heaven than camels have going through the eye of a needle.  

Most of us have taken great comfort when we hear this story, from the fact that we are not like the rich young ruler.  We are not rich like he was.  Therefore, this story could not possibly be aimed at us.  This must be a story that is told so that “rich” people – people like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, people like that – could be corrected by Jesus for their obvious failings.  And unfortunately, many Christian preachers have aided and abetted that approach to this story.  

Well, no more.  Not here.  Not today.  Today we begin to tell the truth and we begin to look at things as they are … as Jesus saw them.

The story of the rich young ruler is a story that is aimed exactly at US, at you and me.  Jesus gave us this story so that it would figuratively, if not literally, slap us right between the eyes.  You see:

We are rich!  You and I are rich.  If you don’t believe it, consider these things:

Do you own a car?  Only about 8 percent of the people in the world have a car.  If 6.5 billion people in the world saw you riding in your car – no matter what make or model it is – they would think you are rich.  Do you have 2 cars?

Will you go out after church and eat lunch?  Or maybe you’ll go home and cook a nice lunch or early Sunday dinner.  Some estimates say that 805 million people on earth are chronically malnourished.  3.1 million children die of starvation every year.  I am overweight.  I am clearly rich by comparison!

Do you have running water in your house?  How about one – or more than one – toilet in your house?  Almost 800 million people lack adequate access to clean drinking water.  Over 2.5 Billion people do not have adequate sanitation.  We are rich!

How much money do you have on you right now?  How much is in your purse or your pocket?  How much change is in the ashtray of your car?  How much is in that jar or tray on your dresser?  56% of the world’s population – over 3 BILLION people live on less than $2.50 per day.  Almost half of those live on less than $1.25 per day.  Who in this room is not rich?

As the contemporary Christian commentator and writer, Rob Bell says, 

Maybe you have this sense, you look around and you have this sense that you don’t have that much, because you see people (who) have even more.  But it’s a dangerous thing when we start to think that ‘our’ world is ‘the’ world.

We in America – we at Christ Church – are rich, just as surely as the rich young ruler was rich.  And we do the same thing he did.  We come to Jesus, either in this church or in our own private prayer lives, and we ask his question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  We all ask Jesus the same questions.  What do we need to do with our lives?  What is it that God wants of us?  

We work more and more and we are less and less satisfied.  What are we called to do, in order to live the lives that Jesus calls all disciples to?  I would submit that Jesus would answer us in exactly the same way He answered in the Gospels, simply this; … follow The Commandments.

Jesus told the rich young ruler not to murder, commit adultery, steal, lie or defraud.  Those are pretty straightforward.  But the Commandments don’t say anything about giving away all your stuff.  Or do they?  The first two Commandments are: 

“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of bondage.  You shall have no other gods but me.  And, 

You shall not make for yourself any idol.”

Jesus knew that those first two Commandments were what was holding the man back.  “I AM the only God,” and “don’t create other gods.” These are stumbling blocks for most of us who are rich.  The more money we have, the more money we want.  The more money we make, the more time and effort we put into making money.  It is as natural for Americans as breathing.  We measure each other by wealth.  And we measure ourselves the same way.  Money is a god and we have even created our own theology to support our beliefs.  

Pop quiz:  How many of you think that “God helps those who help themselves,” comes from the Bible?  You don’t have to raise your hand, it’s OK.  Many American Christians believe that this statement from Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, (quoting Algernon Sydney) actually comes from Scripture.  The Bible actually, consistently, teaches the exact opposite; God helps those who cannot help themselves.

God calls us all to live as Jesus did, with generosity.  In recognition that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God.  Here’s the real, consistent message of Scripture about how we’re supposed to be with our possessions – with our money, (as set out in the 6th chapter of the 1st letter to Timothy).

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.  

The rich young ruler was blessed by God, just as we are.  God gave the man all that he had.  You may say to yourself – as do most Americans – that you earned what you have, by the sweat of your brow, the strength in your arms and the cunning of your brain.  But the children of Israel said the same thing to God when God demanded that they give away part of what they had.  God said, 

You shall generously give … (and) not be grieved when you give … because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.  For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land….’

And in the book of Deuteronomy, the children grumbled.  But God went on to say, “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you.”  The children of Israel didn’t earn their freedom, God gave it to them out of God’s grace.  We didn’t earn our births; or the lives we’ve led thus far; or those breaths that we all just took.  Just like everything else in our world, they were all gifts from a loving, gracious and generous God.

In closing, think about this: in all of the Gospels, in all of the times that Jesus called people to become disciples – remember Peter and Andrew dropping their nets; James and John leaving their father Zebedee to handle the fishing business alone; and Matthew walking away from the tax booth – in all those times, the story of the rich young ruler – was the ONLY time that someone turned Jesus down.  And he walked away because of money.

Be a cheerful, generous giver – get the god of money out from between you and the real God, the God who gave it ALL to you and made you rich.  I pray that each one of you might prayerfully consider how rich you are and what a good and perfect gift back to God might look like.  

In the name of the God who richly provides us with everything, Amen.

[Proper 23B Sermon 101021, Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15, Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31]

The Rev. Canon John Bedingfield's sermon for Oct 3, 2021 at Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph, LA

       

 “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”  “What God has joined together, let no one separate.”  Words that come directly from Jesus, on a subject that we have to deal with often.  Sounds pretty simple … and pretty unequivocal, doesn’t it?  “Is divorce allowed by the Law?” is the question.  “No” is the answer.  If you divorce and remarry, you are committing adultery.  That’s tough stuff.  Especially for those of us who are not on our first marriage.

          The Canons (or laws) of the Episcopal Church say that if a marriage has “become imperiled by dissension,” the clergy are to counsel the couple to try to save the marriage.  But if saving the marriage is not possible, the Bishop may issue a judgment calling the marriage a nullity and allowing either or both parties to remarry with the blessing of the Church[1].  Is it legal to divorce and remarry?  The Church says a slightly hesitant “yes.” 

What’s going on here?  Hermeneutics.  That’s what’s going on here. 

Hermeneutics comes from a Greek word meaning “interpretation.”  Hermeneutics are, “the rules one uses for searching out the meaning of writings, particularly biblical texts.”[2]  We’ll get back to that in a minute.  But first, let’s look at what Jesus was saying at the time that this passage comes about in Mark’s Gospel.

As you may remember, throughout the Gospels it is the Pharisees who repeatedly challenge Jesus on his knowledge of the Law – particularly the law as set out in the book of Deuteronomy.  Often when this happens, the Pharisees will begin the discussion with something like, “Teacher, tell us, is it lawful …?” to do things like: pluck grain on the Sabbath; eat with tax collectors and sinners; eat without washing one’s hands; pay taxes to the emperor; and my favorite, heal someone on the Sabbath. 

The Pharisees were the keepers of the law.  They were the ones who told everyone else what the “rules” were; what God had OK’d and what had not been OK’d.  When it came to the issue of divorce, there were two very different schools of thought at odds with each other, among the Pharisees.  The “Shemmai” school was the strict and conservative group.  They believed that what Moses meant was, if your wife commits adultery you may divorce her.  Otherwise, no divorce.  The “Hillel,” school though, taught that Moses meant that men could divorce their wives for almost any reason, including that they had found someone they felt to be more suitable.

So the Pharisees came to Jesus to try to trap him, again.  They asked about divorce, knowing that Jesus would have to take one side or the other and then they would have him.  But as usual, Jesus turned their question back on them. 

The Hillel and Shemmai schools of thought in ancient Judaism were both involved in working out their hermeneutics with regard to Moses’ teaching on divorce.  One side said, Moses meant to keep Israel separate from the rest of the people of the world, so our rules must be more stringent than theirs.  While the other, looking at the context of the people around them, said the misery of bad marriages must mean that Moses’ law should be interpreted broadly.  Jesus though, has a third hermeneutic here – the hermeneutic of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus’ idea of interpreting Moses’ pronouncement was NOT to interpret it, but to tell the people what was behind it.  What CAUSED Moses to write that law was the brokenness of human beings.  Because they could not love each other as God loved them, rules had to be made to tell them how to live together.  And Jesus lets them know just how far they are from the hermeneutic of the Kingdom of God.

So how do we get from there – from Jesus’ pronouncement – to Canon I.19?  Again, it is by way of hermeneutics.

The Roman Catholic Church has always interpreted Jesus’ pronouncement as being absolute.  Jesus said, “what God has joined together let no one separate,” therefore – under a strict hermeneutic – that is the rule.  This unbending interpretation has resulted in innumerable outcomes that were tragic, if not horrific.

A woman stays at home with her group of stair-step children while her husband goes out to work and afterward as he goes out with “the boys” for few beers.  He comes home with lipstick on his collar and the smell of someone else’s perfume on his clothes.  But she must stay with him.  What God has joined together let no one separate.

Another time, he has a few too many at the bar and comes home angry.  She says or does “the wrong thing,” and he lashes out at her.  She has a black eye and some bruises, but she has to stay with him, because, what God has joined together, let no on separate.  And on it goes.  Under this strict construction of the law, even if a father or mother murders the children, the other spouse cannot get a divorce.

But it doesn’t even have to be that horrible or dramatic.  It could be as simple and ordinary as a family that is happy and healthy until one day mom and dad have an argument that is much worse than the usual.  It’s been building for a while, but no one has talked about it.  They don’t speak at dinner.  Because they don’t, neither do the kids.  Then they don’t speak at breakfast.  No one does.  The same with lunch and the next night’s dinner.  After a few days, the pattern is set and there is no more joy in the house.  Laughter is gone.  Love is dead or dying in the house and no one cares enough to try to revive it.  A family has withered on the vine.  Unless mom and dad both change the way things are, without divorce, desolation is the only option.

These are widely differing examples of what lies behind the Episcopal Church’s hermeneutic of divorce.  Jesus said don’t do it.  Paul agreed.  It is clear from a strict biblical perspective that divorce is not “allowed” by our Bible.  But the Episcopal Church, as well as many other Protestant denominations deals with these passages from a hermeneutic of the Kingdom of God, as exemplified by grace, mercy, and love overriding the law. 

Throughout the Gospels, as well as the Epistles of the New Testament, we hear again and again of God’s love for us.  A love that is so deep that God, “gave his only son so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.[3]”  A love so great that no matter what we do, we can never disappoint God to the point that God would forget about us.  This God who loves us so deeply would never want us to live a life of abject misery in a bad marriage.  Or worse yet, be subjected to physical or sexual abuse in the name of staying faithfully married.  That is the hermeneutic of grace, mercy, and love – the Kingdom of God hermeneutic.

Jesus made some harsh pronouncements in the Gospels.  Ones like the one on divorce that, on their faces, seemed to be quite mean-spirited and legalistic when measured against the needs of the people.  But almost without exception, when He made such statements it was in the context of comparing things with the ways of the Pharisees – the religious leaders of His day – who tried to set themselves up as the ones who judged good from bad and acceptable from unacceptable.  According to a hermeneutic of grace, mercy, and love, the teaching on divorce is not about divorce as much as it is about the hardness of the heart of the religious leaders of Israel. 

Hermeneutics.  We all have them.  We all hear these texts and think, “that makes sense to me because of what I’ve experienced of God.”  Or we hear them and say, “that doesn’t square with what I know of God.  I need to read more and talk with other people about it.”  All of that is exercising hermeneutical principles.  Every one of us brings a lifetime of education and experience to our reading of Scripture, and that education and experience informs how we interpret what we’ve read or heard.

My hermeneutics, as you have no doubt been able to tell, run toward the mercy and grace end of the continuum.  Every time I have trouble figuring out what Jesus might mean in a particular passage – at least with regard to how it impacts my life today – I measure it against what I believe to be some of the most important words Jesus spoke.  Again, they came after a question from the Pharisees.  “Teacher, which commandment is the most important?”  Jesus said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these[4].”  Or, “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets[5].”

If we will simply love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love each other the same way Jesus loves us, everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – else will be taken care of.  The hermeneutics of divorce, or anything else, will fall away and we will be left with a clear vision of the Kingdom of God – exactly as I believe Jesus wanted us to see it.

In the name of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

[Proper 22B, Sermon October 3, 2021, Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 8 or 128, Hebrews 2:(1-8)9-18; Mark 10:2-9 ]

---

[1]   See, Constitution & Canons of the Episcopal Church USA, 2003 (Canon I.19)

[2]   McKim, Donald Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, (Westminster, John Knox 1996) p 127.

[3]   John 3:16 (NRSV)

[4]   Mark 12:30-31 (NRSV)

[5]   Mark 12:31 (KJV)