6 Epiphany, 2025-C: With God's help

Lectionary: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26

 

En el nombre de Dios que es nuestra fuente, nuestra luz, y nuestro sustento. Amén. In the name of God who is our source, our light, and our sustenance. Amen.

Our Collect today talks about putting our trust in God. It also acknowledges that we are weak and can’t do anything good, that is, pleasing to God, without God’s help.

We tend to resist the idea that we are weak or helpless or that we can be misled, yet we know we are, and we can – not often, but it’s possible, especially if someone is willing to lie, manipulate, or threaten us and those we love.

In our Baptismal vows we repeat this phrase over and over, “I will with God’s help.” 

We are asked, will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers… will you persevere in resisting evil… will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ… will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself… and will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?  We reply: I will with God’s help. 

It isn’t easy though, is it? And it seems to be getting harder.

I spent quite a few hours these last couple of weeks in conversation with people burdened by pain, fear, betrayal, and a sense of helplessness. My counsel was for them to remember that we are God’s beloved, our hearts are united to God’s heart, so when we feel pain, we are sharing what God is feeling.

God knows the pain of a child being abused by its parent who should be loving and caring for them. God knows the grief of a black mother whose unarmed son was killed because he reached for a pack of Skittles. God knows the fear of a refugee being terrorized, mistreated, and degraded as “aliens.”

God also knows our frustration and grief at our own helplessness to stop someone from continuing to do harm to others. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor who attempted to assassinate Hitler and was exterminated in a concentration camp for his crime, comes to mind here.

God knows all this because God is with us, within us. Emmanuel. 

Our Scripture readings today help clarify what we’re up against and illuminate our path forward in faith. Reading the gospel in the context of the other lessons is important, as I hope you will see.

The first word in today’s reading from the prophet Jeremiah is “Cursed.” Many of us read that as if God is punishing someone. But that’s wrong. Jeremiah isn’t talking about what God is doing, but what we are doing.

In the original Hebrew, this word means “ill-speaking” and “devoted to destruction.” I’ll restate the first verse using original language translations. Please follow along in the bulletin to see where the original language deepens our understanding. 

“Ill-speaking” are those who trust in mere human beings. Their words are hostile and do harm. “Devoted to destruction” are those who depart from God and instead look to political or military force for their strength.

Our psalm clarifies this even further. I’ll restate just the first verse using original language translations. Again, please read along to see how the original language deepens the message for us. “Blessed are those who have not acted according to the advice of the criminal, nor stood with those who don’t keep their promises, nor made their home with the pernicious criminal, the dishonest mocker.

I have to admit, when I researched these texts in their original languages, as I always do, I found the idea of preparing this sermon daunting. I know I can do nothing good without God’s help.

Then I remembered Jesus and his beautiful teaching from Luke in which Jesus shows us what the path of God looks like and does. In the end, we are the ones making the choice of which path we will follow: the path of God or the path of the false prophet.

Our gospel story begins with Jesus coming down from the mountain. Remember, “mountain” is Bible-speak for the place where God is encountered. Jesus spent the night on the mountain in prayer. With him were all of his followers. In the morning, Jesus chose 12 from among all his followers to be his apostles. He chose them all at once, apparently having been guided in prayer on whom to choose.

Side note: an apostle is one who is sent. We are the ones sent now.

Back to the story… Together, Jesus and the newly chosen 12 went down to a level place and stood in front of a multitude of Jewish people from Jerusalem and Judea, and Gentile people from Tyre and Sidon. The “level place” is Bible-speak for how Jesus approached the crowd, treating no one as above or better than the other. Jesus approached them with equity, which the dictionary says is “being fair and just, in a way that takes account of and seeks to address existing inequalities.”

Again, we hear that the crowds were pressing in to hear Jesus, for as we heard last week, the word of God came from him. They pressed in trying to touch Jesus and have him touch them because they knew power came out from him power that could heal them; and Jesus did heal them - all of them - Jewish and Gentile - physically and spiritually. What a brilliant description of the inclusive love and care God has for all of us.

Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and taught them. This teaching, in Luke anyway, wasn’t for the gathered crowd. It was for his newly chosen 12. Again, I will restate this with original language translation. Please read along from the bulletin.

Blessed the poor (meaning them) because yours (meaning the 12) is the kingdom of God. Blessed the hungry now because you will satisfy them. Blessed the weeping now because you will laugh them. Blessed are you (meaning the 12) when men hate you and separate you, revile you, cast you out, and name you evil for the sake of the Son of Man. Rejoice this day and leap for joy. Then your reward in heaven is abundant, then they do to you as their fathers did against the prophets.

Nevertheless, grief and public condemnation, you (meaning the 12) the rich because you are receiving your encouragement.  Grief and public condemnation you who have been filled now because you will be hungry. Grief and public condemnation you the laughing now because you will mourn and weep. Grief and public condemnation you when all men speak well of you then they do to you as their fathers did to the false prophets.

Jesus is teaching a lesson for us all on how to be his apostles. We are the ones making the choice of which path we will follow: the path of God as Jesus taught it, or the path of the false prophet.

When we follow Jesus’ teaching, we do not seek wealth or a wealthy lifestyle, we are not haughty, and we don’t seek public adulation for proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ. Those who do are false prophets.

We do connect with the poor and share the good news we know with them, remembering to feed them first when their bodies are hungry, so they can receive our spiritual gift. We do sit with those who weep for whatever reason and embody the joy of the Lord for them, knowing it isn’t for us to fix the problems others have but to be available to God to hear and act in the ways God asks us to in the moment.

We do take criticism of our compassion as an honor knowing the world hates it, but God loves it. In fact, God requires it (remember the Great Commandment). We do love and care for all of God’s beloved ones who suffer. We are those presently standing in a long line of faithful folks who were denounced and censured for embodying God’s abundant, inclusive love in the world.

When people ask me, what can I do in the face of so much pain and fear, I say: love and pray. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Love as Jesus loved. Love so that the haters criticize you. Love until the hungry are satisfied and the weeping are laughing. 

Pray for our enemies and bless those who persecute us. Our prayer opens a path of grace into their souls.

When we love and pray like this, then we’ll know we’re on the right path. Then we’ll know we’ve chosen the path of God over the path of the false prophet. 

 We aren’t left helpless and we don’t have to fix the problems of the world. We are a people chosen, empowered, and sent by God to bear the kingdom of God onto the earth. Every step we take on this path of God we take with God’s help. Amen.

5 Epiphany, 2025-C: The great encounter

 Lectionary: Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13]; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11 

En el nombre de Dios que es nuestra fuente, nuestra luz, y nuestro sustento. Amén. In the name of God who is our source, our light, and our sustenance. Amen. 

Dutch priest and theologian, Henri Nouwen, once said, "It is a mystery that the heart, which is the center of our being, is transformed by God into God's own heart, a heart large enough to embrace the entire universe. Through prayer, we can carry in our heart all human pain and sorrow, all conflicts and agonies, all torture and war, all hunger, loneliness and misery, not because of some great psychological or emotional capacity, but because God's heart has become one with ours."

Today’s readings offer us the opportunity to consider the process of our own spiritual development from obedience to a transformed heart, a heart that is in unity with the heart of God. This process moves us from thinking up our own solutions and plans to hearing the call of God upon us, within us, and responding to that. This process works in us both as a faith community and individually since we are the body of Christ, and individually members of it.

Here's how it usually works: God calls to us and says, I want you to do this… Who me? No, I can’t do that, as Moses said. Or… no thanks, God, I don’t want to do that, as Jonah said. Or… that’s impossible God, as Mary the Mother of God said. Or… as we heard Isaiah say, Not me God, for I’ve strayed from your path of righteousness. Like others around me, I say and do unloving things.

We have lots of very rational “not me” responses when God calls to us: I/we don’t have enough time, talent, or treasure to do what you ask, God. It’s pretty much our knee-jerk response, isn’t it?

As our psalmist reminds us, God has a purpose for each of us and all of us, and God will strengthen and empower us to accomplish that purpose. God’s enduring love and presence with us assure us of Their divine protection, guidance, and provision, every step of the way.

This is exactly what Jesus is demonstrating in our gospel story. As we ponder this story, I ask you to listen prayerfully, with your hearts as well as with your heads, because this story is full of symbolic imagery and action.

The setting is the northern portion of the Sea of Galilee near Gennesaret. The timeline, in this gospel anyway, begins with Jesus claiming his identity as the Messiah having read from the scroll of Isaiah in his homeetown synagogue in Nazareth, angering some who heard him. From there Jesus goes to Galilee where he drives an unclean spirit out of a man in the that synagogue. Then he goes to Simon’s house where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law of a debilitating fever. As a result, people came to Simon’s house from all around, seeking spiritual and physical healing. Jesus layed hands on them and healed them all. Then he went throughout Judea to teach in the synagogues and the people heard the word of God come from him. Jesus’ reputation for wisdom and healing spread like wildfire in the region.

This explains why the crowds were pressing in on Jesus in today’s gospel story. To serve them well, Rabbi Jesus plans to use the geography of the area to amplify his voice by going out a little way into the lake to teach.

Jesus goes to Simon, whom he wouldn’t have known yet, and asks Simon to take him out in his boat so he can teach the gathering crowd. Simon, who has just returned from an unsuccessful night of fishing and cleaned his nets, is tired and probably ready to go home to sleep.

Poor Simon Peter. He’s tired, frustrated, and has no food to bring home to his family or to sell after a long night of practicing his trade. Yet, he takes this rabbi on his boat so he can teach the gathering crowd. This puts Simon Peter up close to Jesus as he teaches. I can’t even imagine how transforming that would be!

When he had finished teaching, the rabbi, who is not an experienced fisherman, told Simon (notice he didn’t ask this time) to go out farther and let down his nets to catch fish. We’ve just got back, Simon says, there are no fish out there. But if you say so, I will let down the nets. I will obey.

The fish are so plentiful that the nets begin to break. Another boat is called in to help haul in this incredible abundance of fish. Both boats are so loaded up they begin to sink. What a vivid illustration of the abundance of God!

Luke says that when Simon Peter saw this, he fell to his knees before Jesus confessing his sinfulness. Whenever we become aware that we are in the presence of God, we also become keenly aware of how weak, insignificant, and broken we are by comparison.

Jesus comforts Simon Peter saying those words that always come from heaven right before a call is issued: “Do not be afraid.” Then Jesus issues Simon his divine purpose: “from now on,” he says, “you will be catching people.”

I need to point out that in Jesus’ time, that phrase was used to talk about teachers gathering students. Jesus is anointing Peter to become a teacher of so many people that his proverbial nets will break and boats will sink from the numbers of them. Turns out, Jesus was right!

The story ends with Simon - and others – devoting their lives to this newly revealed purpose. Luke says they left everything else behind to follow Jesus. And there it is… the movement from obedience to a transformed heart, a heart in unity with the very heart of God.

As I often say: thank God for Simon Peter! He’s so like us. He doesn’t get it, then he gets it, then he doesn’t again. Yet, God stays with Simon Peter, forming him, guiding him, and making him ready to serve. Simon Peter wasn’t successful because he was so smart or skilled. Clearly he wasn’t. But as Brother Andrew once said, “God does not choose people because of their ability, but because of their availability.”

Simon Peter’s availability to God transformed him and his mission, and the outcome was an abundance of transformed hearts in numbers so large no one could have imagined it. This, my beloved family of God at Emmanuel, is our call too: to be available to God knowing that if we answer this call, we and our mission will be transformed.

The world is now and always has been, as Henri Nouwen said, filled with pain, sorrow, conflicts andagonies, torture, war, hunger, loneliness, and misery – but we believe that our hearts are united to the heart of God, and through prayer, we can not only survive the pain and misery, but serve as lights of Christ in it. Without prayer, I don’t know how we’d even survive.

Nouwen also said this about prayer: “Prayer is standing in the presence of God with the mind in theheart… where there are no divisions or distinctions and where we [and God] are totally one. There God's Spirit dwells and there the great encounter takes place. There heart speaks to heart...” ("The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers")

Our prayer, whether alone at home, or together in our worship, keeps us aware that we are always living, walking, and serving in the real and powerful presence of God who protects us, guides us, and provides for us in every step we take. And when we stray from the path of righteousness, as Isaiah did, God acts to restore us. And when we humbly surrender, as Peter did, we are empowered to serve in unity with the very heart of God. Amen.