Sermons

“Living Resurrection”

Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28 – Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn

Vista La Mesa Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), La Mesa, California – September 3, 2017

Holy God, bless the speaking and the hearing of these words that we might have the courage to truly believe that your love is strong enough to deliver us from evil. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

*These manuscripts will now occasionally include footnotes for the TruthSeekers when they are in worship.

The tricky thing about this reading from Matthew is that we know how the story ends, but we’re supposed to imagine Peter hearing what Jesus said and reacting the way he did, precisely because he did not have the benefit of being on this side of the resurrection. Did you notice how quickly Matthew squeezes in the words “and on the third day be raised,” almost as if we’re not supposed to notice it’s there? It’s certainly not the part that Peter heard! No, somehow he got stuck on the “undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed” part. It’s more than twice as many words as the other part, after all.[1]

This whole passage reads differently if you know how the story ends, which of course, everyone did. We’ve been discussing in Sunday school how the gospel attributed to Matthew wasn’t written down until sometime in the 70s or 80s of the first century, 40-50 years after the crucifixion and resurrection, so of course they knew. And yet, the sense of panic evoked by Peter’s response tries to help us imagine what it would be like not to know.

What could you possibly think was going on, if you didn’t even realize Jesus was going to be crucified, when he tells you to “take up your cross and follow”? How could that sound anything but ominous? And yet, we know that the early Christian communities had, to some degree, figured out what it mean to “take up their cross and follow” Jesus. Paul gives us a whole list right there in Romans. And it’s not ominous, exactly; it’s just hard.

What I realized in reading these two passages together is that while of course Jesus’ prediction of his death lands differently if you already know how that turns out, Paul’s long list of advice on how to live actually feels very different if read in the light of the resurrection too. There are instructions here for dealing with one’s own heart, dealing with friend and dealing with strangers or enemies, but as long as we’re reading things backwards, let’s start at the end.[2] Paul sums it all up with the words “overcome evil with good.” Without the resurrection, why would we even believe that is possible? The evils in our world seem so intractable, so constant and overwhelming, continually taking on new forms, coming back after we’d thought they’d been vanquished. Our instinct is to fight, to struggle, to battle. Is it really possible to love such things out of existence? Even Paul tells us to “hate evil”, and yet, the only way to overcome it, he suggests is with good. Without the resurrection, how would that make any sense? It’s so hard to believe love holds more power than violence.

But that’s exactly what Paul is exhorting us to do. This list may seem dryly didactic[3], but it’s no less an Easter sermon than any other passage of scripture. “Bless those who persecute you; bless them and do not curse them.” Who does that? Well, Jesus – on the cross, asking God’s forgiveness for those in the process of executing him, that’s who. The same Jesus who commanded his disciples to put away their swords when the authorities came for him in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil,” writes Paul. It’s almost as if he was there in the Garden with them.

I truly believe most of us would be incapable of following this advice, if it were not for the Easter story we’ve heard over and over, trying to convince us of another way of being in the world. Retaliation is so tempting. Vengeance seems so satisfying.[4] So much of our world is built on the assumption that violence can redeem tragedy. But the Easter story sings a different tune. Jesus wants us to understand that there is a better way. And instead of just telling us, he showed us, so there was a chance we’d believe him.

It seems even Paul struggles with this a little. He get it, and yet, in selecting that quote from Proverbs about heaping “burning coals” on your enemies’ heads, it seems he’s still indulging in a little bit of revenge fantasy. The point of the whole metaphor, of course, is that by loving our enemies, providing for their bodily needs, we transform them from enemies into friends. There’s a little moment of burning shame along the way, as they realize we’re not as bad as they thought, and both the writer of Proverbs and Paul, in their very human way, squeeze as much satisfaction out of that moment as possible. Even as we’re following Jesus, we’re sometimes looking longingly at that other path!

What about the rest of the list? Is it easier if we’re not talking about how to deal with enemies? What about the parts that relate to friends? “Love one another with mutual affection.”[5] Show honor, contribute to one another’s needs. “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.” These instructions aren’t as difficult as the ones pertaining to enemies maybe, but they’re still pretty idealized. So much of our relating to other people is about trying to impress or stand out, trying to prove ourselves worthy of love. And again, the light of the resurrection makes all the difference.

How would our relationships with others be transformed, if we walked around fully convinced of our worthiness in God’s eyes? Fully convinced that we are lovable? Fully convinced that we don’t need to prove anything to anyone? How would things change if we walked around fully convinced that those things are also true of everyone else? What would it mean to relate to people by seeing them through God’s eyes?

Given that most of us, I hope, have more friends than we do enemies, these parts might be even more important. What is the difference between a relationship rooted in sacrificial love and one that is shaped by insecurity and resentment? The difference is nothing less than abundant life or not. Living resurrection in our personal relationships is how we practice and experience the love of God.[6] It’s there in the grand gestures of generosity we may occasionally make, but also in the little things: the way we talk to one another, the way we listen, the ways we make room for differences and stick up for one another, the way we forgive, the ways we “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.”

Neither Paul nor Jesus thought any of this is easy. There’s a reason Jesus called it “taking up your cross”. The implication is that you’re making a sacrifice, doing right even when others are doing wrong. Perhaps one of the most telling lines from the Romans passage is when Paul writes, “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” “So far as it depends on you,” he says. Because we can’t control what others do, and they will often not be interested in living peaceably, but we are called to attempt it anyway. It does all sounds pretty hard.

And yet, Paul also writes “Rejoice in hope.” What is that about? This is how I know this passage only makes sense for Easter people. Because we’ve seen too much of the world to believe that if you do all the right things, your life will be made fantastic. There are people all over the world doing the right thing and suffering terribly. Some of them are in this very room.[7] And yet we’re invited to “rejoice in hope”. How can that make sense without Easter? It’s precisely because we know the end of that story that we’re able to hold onto the truth that this story isn’t over yet. We have seen that suffering and death will never have the last word. We have seen evil be overcome with good. We can “rejoice in hope” and “be patient in suffering” and “persevere in prayer” because we trust that all things are held by God. We know that the end of the story holds redemption, and if that redemption isn’t here yet, then it isn’t the end.

Every time we can “hold fast to what is good” and “overcome evil with good”, Easter comes again. Every time we can bless those who persecute us and feed our enemies, every time we contribute generously to someone else’s needs without resentment or jealousy, every time we take up the cross and make sacrifices in order to live peaceably with one another, Easter comes again. The Risen Christ is alive in our midst. We know how the story ends, so let’s remember that it isn’t over yet! Alleluia and Amen!

[1] TS – Have you ever been told bad news, and then good news, but the bad news was so bad you didn’t even hear the good news at first? What did you have to do so you could take in all the information?

[2] TS – Have you ever read the end of a book before you read the rest of it? How does that change your experience of the story? Why might you choose to do that? Why might you choose not to?

[3] TS – “Didactic” means something that is intended to teach us a lesson.

[4] TS – Have you ever wanted to get back at someone? What happened?

[5] TS – Do you know what “mutual” means? Mutuality is one of the most important things in a relationship. It means that both people are equally invested in the relationship, caring for each other equally. Instead of one person doing all the giving or compromising, both people give and receive. Your relationship with your parents is not mutual, because it is their job to take care of you, even if you’re being a brat. But hopefully, your relationships with your friends are mutual, and your relationship some day with a partner will be mutual, because when those kinds of relationships aren’t mutual, they can’t be healthy or holy.

[6] TS – Can you think of a time when you felt really loved? Can you think of a time when you showed deep love for someone else?

[7] Do you know someone going through a really hard time? How could you help bring Easter into their life?