"To bring peace"-Sermon for Proper 7, Matthew 10:24-39
Now, after hearing that Gospel lesson, you might think I am a bit wacky to say what I am about to say, but I believe Jesus’ teaching this morning from Matthew is intended to be of profound comfort to each and every single one of us. And, I say wacky because of course Jesus says things like, “I have come not to bring peace but a sword,” and, “I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother,” and, “whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” These saying without context sound like something much less than comforting. In fact, they sound downright troubling. But, friends, please know, Jesus is not asking us to willfully sow enmity between us and the people we love. Jesus is not asking us to seek out conflict and disagreement with those with whom we share our lives…just for say giggles. Nothing like that. For, Jesus came and gave his life that all might, in fact, be reconciled to God and with each other. As Paul says quite emphatically in his second letter to the Corinthians, those who follow Jesus are called first and foremost into the ministry of reconciliation. That is the ministry of healing ruptured relationships through the hard work of truth telling, active listening, repentance, and forgiveness…that we might be reconnected, reconciled one to another through the power of God’s unending love. So, instead, I believe what Jesus is doing here is simply acknowledging life for what it is. For, I think if I were to ask, and I promise I am not really asking, but if I were to ask for those among us today to raise their hands if they have ever been in conflict or painful disagreement with someone, at least one person, they love, even those within their own family, all of our hands would go up…certainly including my own.
Just a few weeks ago, my wife, two children and I were on our annual family vacation with my parents and siblings and their families. Fourteen of us in total. We are a close family. We travel together often and love each other very, very much. But, there couldn’t be more disagreement among us about any number of very important things…like who should be in power in Washington…like who should be able to marry and who should not…even what following Jesus should really look like and mean. And, I am just scratching the surface here. Further, though we have learned to love one another through our disagreements around deeply held values and beliefs, when such subjects, from time to time, do wiggle their way into our time together, the conversations that follow, if they can be called that, are deeply unsettling and painful and take much time to heal from. And, I know that describes many families. And, further, that many family’s disconnections, even lengthy separations rooted in things like addiction, betrayal, distance, and divorce are far more complex and far more painful then disagreements about religion and politics. Thus, many among us move through life with regret and doubt and anger and hurt…like a sword piercing a heart and rending from it any sort of peace. And, it is such disunity…such often painful disconnection…that Jesus is today acknowledging.
And such acknowledgment, in a sense, normalizes such experiences. It reminds us that is not just me…or just us…just my family and my relationships. And, friends, there is real comfort in knowing that it’s not just me. There is comfort found in being honest about such experiences and not trying to hide our relational wounds in the proverbial closet…pretending like everything in my life and family are just perfect. Pain only grows when kept in the dark. Further, such honesty can lead to the comfort that begins when we ask for help or seek support…the comfort that begins when we unburden ourselves with those who have earned our trust. And, I hope we can be that and find that in this place…in this family of faith…listeners and encouragers and supporters of one another, as we all move through this often difficult thing called life.
But, beyond the comfort that comes from normalizing our shared experience of ruptured relationships, Jesus offers us a deeper and harder form of comfort this morning, which is found in the call of discipleship. That is the choice to follow Jesus and his way of love with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind. And, Jesus is being very clear here that following his way of love doesn’t mean that all of our problems will go away…that our disagreements and conflicts will all magically disappear. In fact, he readily admits that following his example of radical, self-giving love, which affirms God’s love for all people, can create its own form of separation from those who oppose such a way of living…even those very close to us. As R. Alan Culpepper, commenting on a similar passage in Luke, writes, “We cannot make a commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord without it affecting the way we relate to friends and to family members. Because our commitment to Christ shapes our values, priorities, goals, and behavior, it also forces us to change old patterns of life, and these changes may precipitate crisis in significant relationships.” And, he continues, “Some of the most unexpected crisis we face come from the opposition of others when we set out to do what we perceive to be the good, moral, and right thing to do. Jesus himself knew how devastating such crisis can be, and he warned his followers to be prepared to encounter them also.”
Thus, the comfort found in following Jesus and his way of love is, indeed, neither naïve or easy. But, friends, as Jesus also says in today’s Gospel lesson, there is profound comfort found in knowing that even the hairs on our head are numbered by God, which is Jesus saying to us that God loves us…every part of us…that we were created intentionally by and for love alone…that God will never leave or lose us. There is comfort found in trusting that every secret will come to light…that everything unknown will be known…that, in the fullness of time, truth will standup alone and that truth will set us free. There is comfort in knowing that even if we lose our life in the name of love that we will, in fact, fully find it. There is comfort found in that fear combating truth that those death dealing powers and principalities of darkness in our world that would kill or control our bodies have no power over us…for we have already claimed victory over death through Jesus’ glorious resurrection. Friends, if we can really believe that, there is courage to be found to take real risks in the name of love…to find meaning and purpose and direction…to make a difference for God and for good…to even find the courage to be ministers of reconciliation…to lean into disagreement with love…to find shared values and shared concerns with people, family and strangers alike, and use those places of agreement to build bridges and work meaningfully together. And, there is comfort found in the promise that at the end of all things, God will be all in all, and we will stand shoulder to shoulder in the eternal habitations, prepared for us before time and forever, deeply in love with each other, as the fully reconciled people of God…all ruptures mended…all together.
And such comfort is not only a balm that soothes the pain of disagreement and separation from those we love…for such comfort also provides a peace that exists beyond our understanding from which measured and thoughtful action emerges…the very confidence and courage we need to love like the one we follow…Jesus. And, when we love like Jesus…though not always easy and with hard, honest work often required…I believe all things are possible…a different sort of future for our relationships, even those profoundly broken, is possible…a different sort of future for our world is possible. Amen.