The Gospel is Radical

Posted by stpauls on February 27, 2011 under Sermons | Be the First to Comment

Last Wednesday, I had the unique opportunity to attend an Ecumenical mini-pilgrimage. A group of ordained and lay leaders of downtown churches crisscrossed the downtown core to visit its churches, and to study and pray together. We started out at Christ Church Cathedral, and then continued on to four more holy sites: Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Cathedral, Central Presbyterian Church, First Baptist Church, and St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church. In June, we will all meet here at St. Paul’s.

Our biblical companion for the morning was Mark 12: 38 – 13: 2, a story commonly referred to as “the widow’s mite.”

Let me recount the story really quickly:

Jesus is in the Temple with his disciples, and he watches as all kinds of people drop donations in the collection plate at the entrance to the treasury of the Temple. All of a sudden, a poor widow, who has no financial resources, approaches the treasury and drops off two coins – everything she has left – into the collection plate. And Jesus celebrates this act of kindness and generosity.

This story might be familiar, not just to church-geeks like our little clergy gathering past Wednesday, but nonetheless it remains a fairly challenging text: After all, none of us readily hands over everything we do not need to provide the essentials for living. Not one of us gives like the widow gave. Yet, she is the one who is held up as an example by Jesus the Christ. And this is uncomfortable, challenging, and even radical.

Yes, the Gospel is radical, but this Gospel-radicalism is often lost on us. We might battle it out over all kinds of issues, but I have yet to hear of a church-split over the amount of giving. There is no “Anglican Network” condemning others for un-Gospel-like donations. In fact, many of our Evangelical brethren and sistren these days celebrate a message that sees a direct correlation between our faith and our personal wealth, a correlation which, quite frankly, I find heretical in the light of today’s Gospel story.

Equally though, liberal Christians might cry out against injustice, which is living into core Gospel values. But, in our strife for justice, are we also willing to give it all for the building up of God’s reign in this world? We might be passionate about advocating for the widow’s right, and for the rights of any widow, stranger, and marginalised. But would we hand over all of what we are and all the resources at our disposal to God and to God’s church?

Yes, indeed, the radicalism of the Gospel is often lost on us.

And it made us very uncomfortable on Wednesday too.

Here we were sitting around the table studying holy Scripture and hearing Jesus’ radical challenge – and all the while we have built for us nice middle-class existences. We clergy follow Jesus’ way and support the church, but none of us follows Jesus’ admonition fully. So, does that turn us into hypocrites or false prophets? And what about all those in our congregations, who contribute significantly of time, talent, and treasure, yet still have enough to enjoy a comfortable life, a life with amenities that 95% of the world’s population couldn’t even dream of? Will we all be condemned, as threatened by Jesus in the Gospel according to Mark?

Of course, our urge is to answer with relativism: Jesus’ words about money must be seen in its cultural context and must then be reinterpreted. Didn’t I just preach about this last Sunday?

But I don’t think we can be let off the hook that easily today. The words of our Lord and Saviour are quite clear, and don’t leave much wiggle-room, even after some text criticism.

On the other hand, though, can we really condemn those who give out of the generosity of their heart, but fall short of the widow’s example?

The situation is not easily solved, if solvable at all. We might seek quick and definite answers, but there are none. Instead, there is a tension created by Jesus, a tension that does not allow us to read the Gospel in a shallow way, so that we can move on quickly. But this creative tension, intrinsic to the Gospel, calls us to go deeper, to constantly engage the Word of God on a more profound level, and to hold up our lives to the standards set out by Jesus the Christ. This Gospel-tension, however, does not seek to condemn us or dismiss our struggle, but the tension offers an alternative and allows us to move deeper into understanding the mystery of God. The Gospel revelation seeks to liberate us from whatever it is that hinders us to claim our God-intended beauty. The Gospel cracks the bonds that bind us to darkness and death, bonds that can take all kinds of forms and shapes.

And this is where today’s Gospel reading becomes important.

In the reading from Matthew, Jesus recognizes the problem of possessions. He knows that wealth and greed – just like disinterest in God’s ways – are a threat to our relationship with God, with one another, and with our true and awesome self. It is something Jesus witnessed in all his ministry. He encountered human carnage and suffering everywhere he went.

And nothing has changed since.

We can witness what happens if we replace the love of God with the worship of an idol, not just in the life of Muammar al-Gaddafi, who clearly has sacrificed any form of human compassion on the altar of his murderous drive for power. All around us, affluence, wealth, power, self-interest, and self-satisfaction compete for the human heart. The revolts of our Arab and North African sisters and brothers are a direct result of rising food prices, caused by our ever-increasing demands and our ever-increasing needs. The system is becoming a yoke crushing already many in countries of the Second, Third, and Fourth World as much as in places like our Downtown Eastside or the alleys of the West End and Yaletown. Furthermore, in our constant strive for self-fulfillment without regard for others many are left kicked to the curb.

This reality of our world is as much a burden on the human heart as was the reality of the world Jesus encountered some 2000 years ago. Darkness and death seem to have a strong voices. The demands of our world too often squeeze out and suffocate the awesome beauty God has gifted to us. And our fears and our perceived need for security keep us from taking risks for the sake of the Gospel, risks that would allow us to break through injustice, sin, and the coldness of hearts, risks that would allow to become agents of reconciliation, agents of justice, and agents of the Good News of Christ’s kingdom.

Yet, in the midst of what could be too discouraging, Jesus says, “Do not worry. Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Jesus utters no condemnation here, despite witnessing havoc in the lives of his neighbours. Rather, Jesus offers an alternative, an alternative that does not negate the beauty of creation, but even finds and celebrates the treasure found in the lilies of the field. It is an alternative that reminds us all who we are and whose we are. And it reminds us that the One, who loved us into being will take care of us.

Yes, there are concerns for daily needs. We all know this and Jesus is not unrealistic. But there is more to life. And God will take care of us, so that we will help to take care of one another and will help take care of God’s plan for justice and God’s forgiveness in this world.

Today and next Sunday, we will gather for our annual general meeting called vestry. It is a wonderful time to take stock and map our way forward. Unfortunately, in the busyness of the business of keeping this parish alive we far to often forget the truth of Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel. Far too often we worry, we forget the beauty that is all around us already, and we get too scared to take risks for the sake of the Gospel.

But this parish is engaged in life-giving ministries in amazing ways. Through us, through the work God has given us, lives and souls are saved in the West End, in Yaletown, and beyond. We are a beacon of hope in the confusing and complex realities of our city and indeed we are a beacon of hope in a world that is searching for meaning and yearning for healing.

And we deserve to be around. In fact, I believe firmly that the Spirit of God wills for us to grow in depth, in programming, and in impact on the community we serve. And this will, God willing, lead to growth in numbers too. This is why particularly over the next week we must remember Jesus’ words, and must remember them well:

“Do not worry. Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”

[The Reverend Markus Duenzkofer delivered this sermon on February 27, 2011.]

Consider the Lilies of the Field

Posted by stpauls on under Bible Readings, Webmaster Blog | Read the First Comment

Matthew 6:24-34 ~ Gospel Reading for February 27, 2011

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you– you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

God’s Law is about Relationships

Posted by stpauls on February 20, 2011 under Sermons | Be the First to Comment

Did you have a good Valentine’s Day?

I have to admit, even after having lived in North America for over 14 years, I still find this a peculiar holiday. There are obvious reasons: Valentine’s Day is for lovers, and woe is you, if you do not have a significant other. But even if you do, there are all kinds of rules to follow in order to celebrate the day properly. So much for spontaneity! And if you don’t follow the rule, well, again: woe is you!

But rules and regulations are good, right? They keep us on track, tell us what is good and what is bad, and most importantly they identify who is in and who is out. Rules are important.

Or are they?

We all know that maintaining a solely legalistic approach is never appropriate. Martin Luther King Jr. broke rules, and so did Mahatma Ghandi. They broke rules that they experienced as unjust and demeaning. Those marching on the streets in North Africa and Arabia equally are breaking rules, rules that have kept a majority of Arabs in a straight-jacket forced upon them not only by their oppressive, medievalist governments, but also by multinational corporation and Western interests.

We might cheer these revolutionary freedom-fighters now, but is that because it is safe to do so from a distance? What would happen if the oppressed masses would break the rules of the global economy and demand fair wages, wages that would increase prices on things we take for granted? Or, even worse, what would happen if these rule-breakers would march North and West and decide that after years of securing Western prosperity it is their time to enjoy this prosperity here, right among us, right instead of us? We wouldn’t be so happy about that kind of rule-breaking anymore, would we?

So yes, on the surface, rules and regulations have a place in our lives: not everything goes. Wild-eyed relativism isn’t healthy, productive, or life-giving. We are not our own rule-makers making it all up as we go along. And the paradigm “As long as nobody gets hurt” is not a good enough benchmark.

But blind obedience to rules isn’t helpful either. Human beings should never be sacrificed on the altar of legalism. Rules and regulations must constantly be engaged, reevaluated, and reinterpreted in the light of new insights and in light of the human experience: Not everything that was right even 20 years ago might be right today. And not everything that worked even 10 years ago, might work today.

But what are the tools that empower us to come up with models and patterns for healthy, abundant, and maybe even eternal life?

I would like to suggest that God’s self revelation in Holy Scripture might give us some relevant clues and ideas how to go about this.

But wait a second: Didn’t I just say that blind obedience to rules isn’t helpful? Shouldn’t this also go for God’s law as revealed to Moses and handed down to us by God’s prophets and sages? Shouldn’t the biblical rules and regulations equally be engaged, reevaluated, and reinterpreted constantly in the light of new insights and in light of the human experience?

Well, yes! Yes, indeed.

Despite the fact that the Law revealed in Scripture has been, is now, and will remain an essential part of our Christian tradition, we are not bound to solely take the letter of the Law literally. These codes have a cultural context and if we do not seek to understand this backdrop, we might miss the intent of the author of our sacred texts.

Take for example the lex talionis, the Law of Retribution, brought up by Jesus in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew. And if you look closely, our Lord and Saviour is doing a bit of engaging, reevaluating, and reinterpreting here himself.

But let’s stick with the original setting. The command to requite “an eye for an eye” appears in two places in the Hebrew Scriptures: Exodus 21:24 and Leviticus 24:20. These scripture passages have been used throughout the centuries to call for severe punishment, which amounts to retribution, to an equal pay-back for the damage caused. Just look at the debate about capital punishment, recently brought up in a CBC interview by our own Prime Minister, who after all comes from an Evangelical background. Proponents of the death penalty love to use Exodus 21: 24 and Leviticus 24:10 for their argument.

However, this is misreading the text, because the Law of Retribution has to be set in the context of the Law’s commitment to justice in a cultural reality where retribution often got out of hand: If I cut off your hand, you killed me, and if you killed me, my brother killed you and your brothers and sisters. And if my brother killed you and your brother and sisters, your clan would declare war on my family. And so forth. You get the picture.

In reality, the Law of Retribution does not grant a right to anybody, but it sets a limit on what can be demanded. It seeks to ensure that the punishment is not more severe than the crime. It tries to stop the escalation of violence.

As you can see, this thorough analysis of the biblical texts does not make our Scripture any less normative. Far from it! Our Scriptures reveal truth, theological truth that is much more profound than the skin-deep interpretation of fundamentalism or legalism. In the case of the Law of Retribution, a more faithful interpretation of Exodus 21: 24 and Leviticus 24:10 – if applied to our justice system – would not demand the reintroduction of the death penalty in our days, but it would ask about what things need to be done to deescalate violence. In our cultural context, this must consider sentencing not only from the perspective of punishment, but equally from the perspective of safety for the community and rehabilitation of the offender.

But let me return to the question of how to go about creating paradigms for healthy, or should I say “ethical” behaviour, and how God’s self-revelation in the Bible can help.

Many scholars now argue that God’s law should not so much be read as law, as regulation, as rules, and as commandments, but as fulfilments. The Hebrew text, these scholars maintain, does not support a legalistic reading. God’s law is not a set of moral codes, ethical rules, or religious regulations to find favour in God’s sight. What we have discovered – I should say: re-discovered – is this: It is not about rules and regulations. It is about relationships. Keeping the law, or better: making good ethical decisions, is the natural consequence of a profound connection and relationship both with our triune God and equally with our neighbours. At the centre of God’s law is not a command for us to blindly follow rules and regulations so that we are holy. Rather, it is the other way around.

At the heart of the law is the following verse of today’s reading from Leviticus: “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” And holiness is not about doing things the right way, but it is about letting ourselves be embraced by God’s unbelievable love and eternal purpose. Holiness is all about an intimate, passionate, and life-giving relationship, an unbreakable covenant, an infinite bond of love between God and her people. And the Law is an expression of exactly this bond.

Equally at the heart of the law is Jesus’ teaching, not just in today’s reading: “Love your neighbour,” Jesus says. That is the summary of what it is about. And our neighbour is not just a Christian brother or sister. It is whoever steps our way: Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sigh, Buddhist, Pagan, Agnostic, or Atheist. And this love of neighbour must include a recognition that others may come to ethical behaviour without referring to our understanding of God or without referring to a higher power at all.

In this context, Christian ethics, as exercised by people embracing a faith in the triune God, are better described as ethics by Christians. Our ethical decisions should never discriminate, but should meet people where they are, and should seek to recognize the face of Christ in everybody, even in those in whom we least expect to encounter Christ. Yes, even our enemies are sisters and brothers, and we are bound by Jesus’ words to retaliate evil with good.

When we embrace God as the one who loves us and does not abandon us, when we say “yes” to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to the God of Mary, Lydia, and Phoebe, and when we at the same time embrace our neighbours and meet them in love and with love (love that we have ourselves experienced), then we will do what is written, then we will act in ways that are life-giving for us and for the world, then we will embrace ethical decision making. It is not about a blind obedience to codes and laws. It is about a thoughtful celebration of relationships that goes beyond our self-serving interests and focuses on the well-being of the cosmos, of all that is created.

[The Reverend Markus Duenzkofer delivered this sermon on February 20, 2011.]

Love your Enemies

Posted by stpauls on under Bible Readings, Webmaster Blog | Read the First Comment

Matthew 5:38-48 ~ Gospel Reading for February 20, 2011

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

I am the LORD your God

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Leviticus 19:1-2,9-18 ~ Bible Reading for February 20, 2011

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.

You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the LORD.

You shall not defraud your neighbour; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a labourer until morning. You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbour. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbour: I am the LORD.

You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbour, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD.

Vancouver honours Uganda’s “modern-day martyr”

Posted by stpauls on February 8, 2011 under Contributors, Webmaster Blog | Be the First to Comment

Read Nathaniel Christopher’s article dated Tuesday, February 08, 2011 published in xtra!: Canada’s Gay and Lesbian News. It describes the service St Paul’s Anglican Church held on February 6, 2011 to honour the life and legacy of David Kato.

Also, here’s a Youtube video of some of the event.