"You shall love"-Sermon for All Saints, Mark 12:28-34
Now, friends, I think asking for advice from those we trust and respect and taking it to heart, when it resonates with us, is, in general, a good practice in life, especially, when encountering the real challenges and opportunities that inevitably come before each of us. And, as I sat down to write this sermon, I remembered a piece of advice I received many moons ago now. It was way back in the 20th century, the early 1990’s specifically. Back then, Lonestar beer had an ad campaign and the tag line was “give me love, give me Lonestar, give me Texas”. Now along with the tag line there were commercials with cowboys in the background and billboards and bumper stickers. And, while on a family vacation to Lake McQeeney near Sequin, TX with family friends, one of my dad’s closest friends, Mike, had one of those bumper stickers on his truck. It was white with three symbols on it in a row, sort of like emojis in the 21st century…if that is helpful for those younger than me. In order they were a red heart, a bottle of Lonestar beer, and the outline of the State of Texas. And, as we were preparing to head out to dinner, Mike, who was a larger than life sort of figure…he was a big dude who had played offensive line for Texas A&M in the 60’s…Mike had a foot resting on his bumper by the sticker. That large foot was of course boot clad, and he was looking toward the sticker wistfully and longingly, when he noticed me approaching. He called me over, put his hand on my shoulder in a big-brotherly sort of way, and said something like, “Miles…you see that sticker…that’s what life’s all about…all you need to know. Love in your heart…good times with good friends…and the bootstrapin’, hard work values we appreciate here in Texas.” And, friends, he had affectively roped in and hog tied this impressionable young man. I was all in. Like Kelly preached last Sunday, it was like my eyes to the meaning of life had been open. And, as my gaze joined his wistfully taking in the wisdom flowing from the bumper sticker and the lips of this dear friend of my dad’s, I replied, “Yeah man…totally.”
Now thankfully, I have grown-up a bit since then. I have gained some wisdom through my own experience and on-going education, as a life-long learner and, also, from the wisdom and advice I have received from many other folk along the way. And, I mean no offence toward Mike, he was earnestly sharing in that moment from his heart…and the advice had some merit to it. He is one who stands among the saints of God who I am remembering today…a life-long Roman Catholic devoted to the church, to his family, and to Jesus. But, I have learned that Lonestar is not actually great beer…I am more of a locally crafted IPA guy. And, I know alcohol is not essential to creating good times or forging meaningful relationships with good friends. It can do the opposite. And, I know that the myths we native Texans often tell ourselves about our specialness and unique history are actually really complicated, and the good parts are not really imbued in us by geography alone. But, again, I think seeking wisdom and asking for advice from those we trust and respect and taking it to heart, when it resonates, is, in general, a good practice in life.
And, as we celebrate All Saints’ Sunday in the life of the church, Jesus, who is God’s own enduring Word, alive and active among us, the very wisdom behind the creation and ordering of the universe, indeed, has some advice, our better said, wisdom for us today…that I think we should, in all seriousness, reflect upon and take to heart. And, that advice concerns what stands at the very center of the faith and practice we are to live out as the saints of God. And, when I say saint, I am referring to the New Testament definition of saint, which includes all baptized Christians in every age and in every place moving backward and forward in time eternally. Including, this goodly fellowship of saints we call St. Julian’s. And, at the very least, that heart on that Lonestar bumper sticker, which Mike and I both genuinely interpreted as meaning love, might be pointing us to the very wisdom that Jesus shares.
Now, that wisdom, which we have come to know in the church as the Great Commandment, I will get to shortly. But, first, I think it is worth noting that the first people Jesus shares his revelation with are a group of his own religious leaders who Mark tells us are in dispute, in deep conflict with Jesus and with one another. And, if we were to read all of Mark chapter 12 in which our gospel lesson is situated, we would see first that this group of leaders represented all of the major sects of Judaism in Jesus’ day, the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. And, second, they were confronting Jesus with serious questions around things like politics…specifically Israel’s relationship with its imperial overlord Rome…and things like identity…Israel’s self-understanding of its own history and their purpose as God’s chosen people…and things like Israel’s core beliefs…like what happens to us when we die. And, on each of these subjects, these groups had significant disagreements internally and between groups, and the resolution of these disagreements would have real world implications…like open conflict and violence with Rome…like families and loved ones divided along religious and political lines. Their world was volatile, confusing, uncertain and fragile. And, just as in our own day, in such times, tribes form, angers flair, resources are hoarded, anxiety runs rampant, peacemakers are crucified, and people suffer…especially…people living on the margins…the most vulnerable among us. These questions, that directly proceed today’s Gospel lesson, were intended to entrap Jesus, discredit and ultimately dispose of him…which would check one thing off their list of perceived troubles…but the questions themselves were reflections of the deep anxiety, fear, conflict and disagreement that lived among the people of Israel, Jesus’s own people, in a very precarious time in their history.
And, friends, this may all sound strangely familiar, especially, as we are just two days from election day. And, I will be entirely honest and vulnerable with you, as your priest, and say I have concerns and am anxious about what could follow in the coming days, weeks and months ahead…regardless of who wins the election. I am concerned there might be some level of violence…though I hope and pray there is not. I am concerned that the outcome of the election may lead to greater polarization, separation and disconnection in this sorely divided nation and world. I am concerned about how the outcome of the election could impact very personally the relationships in my own family, as like so many of us, I live in an extended family who have very different opinions about what the future should best look like. I am concerned about how the result of the election will impact war and peace in our world, especially, in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. I am concerned about how the outcome of the election will impact Mother Earth, our fragile Island home, as the climate continues to warm. And, I am very, very concerned about the impact the election could have on the most vulnerable among us…those who already are experiencing the crushing weight of poverty and food and housing insecurity, immigrants seeking safety, good work and to be productive members of our society, and our LGBTQ siblings and those who love them. The fragility and anxiety of these, who are among God’s own beloved, is real and palpable, as their rights, freedoms, health, safety, best aspirations and even holy ambitions feel and are, in fact, unclear, uncertain, and fragile. And, again, to a greater or lesser extent, all of these concerns continue to exist and are things we should continue to pay attention to and work on, as the Saints of God, no matter who is elected to any office. And, I want you to know that, though I remain always hopeful…for I believe entirely that, in the fullness of time, God’s love will prevail in all things…these concerns, like in the religious leaders of Jesus’ own day, live in me. So, I stand in solidarity with those who share these concerns. I have voted and I trust that you have or are, and I continue to be committed to the work of justice and advocacy for the most vulnerable among us. Further, I am in fervent prayer and invite you to join me in prayer…that God’s will alone is done on earth as it is in heaven for all of us…whatever we look like, whoever we love, whatever we believe…all of us.
So, to return to our gospel lesson, perhaps the world has not changed so much over time, and perhaps there is some solace found here…found in the simple fact that we humans are, indeed, still here and continue to argue over what is best…argue over what God requires and desires most for the world and all that live in and on it. St. Paul notes that, as we seek to understand God’s will for our lives and for the world, it is like we are peering into a mirror that is dimly lit, and that is often how it feels. But, into such darkness and uncertainty, Jesus who is God’s eternal Word…has a word…some advice…some wisdom for the saints of God…those living in his own day and to us living in our own day. Jesus shares, again, what we have come to call the Great Commandment, which is really two Old Testament commandments put together, he says, “[Y]ou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’” and, “‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And, further, Jesus says that when we believe and live into the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor…we are very close to the kingdom of God...not the broken kingdoms of this world…but the kingdom of God.
Friends, this commandment to love God and neighbor is the cornerstone on which our sainthood is firmly established. Loving God is the heart of our faith and loving our neighbor as ourselves is the way that faith becomes alive and is incarnate in the world. Though perhaps two commandments, they are always one, which is why Jesus pairs them together. For when we fall entirely in love with God, we can only love entirely God’s own beloved. In that great parable, the Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which Jesus answers the question “who is our neighbor?”, we learn that our neighbors are not those who live next door to us, or those who agree with us, or those who share a party affiliation with us, or those who share a passport with us, but everyone who God loves and everyone who so desperately needs our love, especially, those, as the parable describes, who are most vulnerable…those whose are metaphorically and sometimes literally beaten up, ignored, and left half dead on the side of the road. And, we are to love them and God and God and them, for, again, the two are inseparable, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This is true today, and it will be true the day after the election, and one year later and for as long as our lives last on this side of glory. And, every time our love of God and neighbor comes alive, through our love-spreading and life-giving words and deeds, when we actually stop and sacrificially help the one in need, the kingdom of God comes near. Light shines in the darkness. Hope for a different, better sort of God-dreamed future emerges. And, in those very moments, the life of the one we have loved, cared for, helped, spoken up for, lifted up and our own life all together find the strength to shout into the darkness…God’s love will prevail! For, not love, but sin and death, were crucified on the cross on which Jesus hung. They will not have the final word for, at Easter, love wins.
Thus, our choice, for it is a choice, to lead with our heart, not a heart on a bumper sticker but the one beating in our chest…that is to lead with heart full of love for God and neighbor…is what participates with the work God has done and is doing in all of creation…until all that is left is light and love…from forever to forever. And, I speak not of sentimentality, but a sort of fierce love of God and neighbor flowing from a heart entirely filled up…that takes risks, that courageously tells the truth, that speaks up and speaks out for the vulnerable in each moment that it is required of us. This is real power…past politics…to help remake human lives into the very image in which each was first created…God’s own image. And, the kingdom of God comes near…even if just a small glimpse of it…like standing in the eye…a moment of peace…as the storm rages on.
Dear Saints of God, every time I see a bumper sticker, not the Lonestar one, but the ones I see now…that say things like “Come and Take It” or “Resist” or “MAGA” or “Turn Texas Blue” what I see, or better said, what I hear is hurting humans, just like each of us, crying out “give me love”. And, Jesus’ Great Commandment reminds us that this is our work, as God’s own saints, to love, in word and deed, God and all of our neighbors who really need our love…today, the day after the election…a year from now…always…always…until all the reconciled people of God stand hand in hand basking in the perpetual light and love that burst forth from the empty tomb. Amen.