Just Imagine . . .

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24A)

Leviticus 19.1-2, 15-18; Matthew 22.34-46

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Whenever I hear Jesus’ response to the question, “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” I cannot help thinking of my maternal grandfather. Whenever you asked him a question that had a choice, particularly an “either/or” question, he would invariably respond, “Yes.” Or perhaps “No,” But usually a response that did not directly answer the question. Which invariably caused me and my cousins to laugh and comment on the silliness of his answer. We were just kids, after all. As we grew older, the laughs turned more into groans with the addition of eyerolls. But we loved the playfulness he exhibited, nonetheless.

 

While I seriously doubt Jesus was being playful in his response to the question posed by one of the Pharisees, even after all these years, I still can’t help but be a bit flabbergasted by Jesus’ response to the question as to which of the commandments is the greatest. He starts with “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.” Okay, fine. But he does not stop there. He continues on with “And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” This is where the engineer in me rears his sarcastic little head. What part of the question did you not understand? Asking “which commandment in the law is the greatest” implies a single answer. One commandment. Just one. Not two. Although, I suppose Jesus could be forgiven, as he does say “the second is like it.” Perhaps stretching the intent of the question a little. But, I suppose when your father is the one who handed down the commandments, you can take a few liberties. And, of course, he then connects the two with the concluding statement, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

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The Image We Bear

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24A)

Matthew 22.15-22

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

There is a mistaken notion that the Church is not allowed to get political in its message. Perhaps partially due to a misunderstanding of the First Amendment of our Constitution and of two specific clauses contained therein: the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from establishing a state-sponsored religion. And the Free Exercise Clause protects the citizens' right to practice their religion as they wish, providing the practice does not run afoul of “public morals” or a "compelling" governmental interest.[i] Other restrictions are actually policies of the Internal Revenue Service, which have largely been eliminated under the current administration. While neither the Establishment Clause nor the Free Exercise Clause are biblical, today’s Gospel reading is about the closest scriptural support you will find for these principles. Demonstrating in no uncertain terms that Jesus was decidedly political. And in so doing, providing justification for how we as followers of Christ and how the Church as the Body of Christ, are called to be political.

 

I know there are some that start to get nervous, even anxious, when such topics come up in a sermon. Equating politics with partisanship, which is where things generally go in our national political discourse. But I merely preach what scripture gives us. And today, Jesus gives us, “Give . . . to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Establishing clear distinctions regarding our relationship to both church and state. I submit there is nothing to get nervous about in following that injunction. While it is most certainly a political statement on Jesus’ part, it is certainly not partisan. In fact, Jesus deliberately crafts this statement to be non-partisan, as we shall see. So, let’s all take a deep breath and take a look at what Jesus is really getting at in today’s Gospel.

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Invitation

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23A)

Matthew 22.1-14

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

So . . . let me get this straight. A king hosts a wedding banquet for his son. The invitations went out months ago. Presumably those invited had RSVPed. And given the fact that it was likely the most extravagant event of the year, there were few, if any, regrets sent. And now that it’s time for the big event, nobody shows up? That’s pretty rude. No, not rude. Impossible! After all, who would not want to go to a banquet hosted by the king? It’s not every day you get to do that. And to add to the lunacy, when the king is told that no one is bothering to come, he goes ballistic and sends his army—an ARMY—to kill the ungrateful invitees and burn their city down. Now that’s a little over the top, to say the least. So, then, still wanting to have a party, the king has his servants go out into the streets and bring in anyone and everyone who passes by—both good and bad. After all, you can’t let all that food and booze go to waste.

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