MICAH 6:1-8

PSALM 37:1-8

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-31

MATTHEW 5:1-12

Sermon – 2/3/02

All through January, we heard and reflected on Scriptures which emphasize the breadth of the Christian community. We heard about the wise men (the fist Gentiles to come to Jesus), about how all Christians (not just clergy) are called to ministry, about how Jesus takes away the sin of the world and God’s servant was called to reach out to all nations, and how we are all called to be heirs of the Apostles and be “fishers of people” ourselves.

Now, as we reach what racing fans might call “the gun lap” of the season after the Epiphany, with 10 days to go until Lent, we begin to shift to an emphasis on depth in the Christian life. It’s good to invite, welcome and commission all sorts of people as Christians with ministries, but what exactly do we do? What standards do we live by? What is our approach, as Christians, to our lives – not just to our church activities, but to all of our lives?

Today’s Scriptures give some pithy and memorable answers to theme questions. The Old Testament prophet Micah offers a “one-liner” we all would do well to memorize: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”

This may sound at first like a commonplace platitude, but in fact it is directly contrary to the way much worldly wisdom teaches. The “worldly wise” say, “Anything’s O.K. if you don’t get caught”, “Step on peoples’ faces on the way up,” “Shred incriminating documents,” “Make sure you sell your shares when the stock is hot – and its price is buttressed by prohibiting the rank-and-file employees from selling theirs”. As for Micah’s third admonition, the “worldly wise” say, “Walk how, with who?”

Imagine the prophet Micah laying it on the line to the Board of Directors of Enron, folks to whom justice and kindness to people and humility before God were as foreign as working on an assembly line. The leadership of that company will have a lot to answer for to a much higher Authority than Congress.

But not just Enron. Justice is out the window when the US. Government is spending our tax dollars on settlements for surviving family members of World Trade Center victims based on the projected lifetime earnings of the deceased. Apparently our government endorses the notion that the life of a busboy at Windows on the World isn’t worth much. But he’s just as dead. And plenty of people who were working low-paying jobs when they died have families who are at least as deserving as the high rollers. But worldly wisdom is not about justice – or kindness – or humility.

Christian wisdom needs to be about all three. And note, this trifecta of virtues isn’t listed as a suggestion, it’s prefaced by “What does the Lord require of you.” If we want to be on the team, this is the package.

St. Paul confronts “The wisdom of this world” in today’s Epistle, the passage from 1 Corinthians. Well, today “the wisdom of the world” says that “If you have money, education, youth and talent you have everything.” Nooo. If you don’t believe me, see the movie “The Royal Tennenbaums”, which Elda and I saw Friday night. It’s a comic tragedy about seriously dysfunctional family – a totally clueless mother, a father who is a spectacularly neglectful, grossly insensitive “con artist”, and their three kids who have money, education, talent youth – and serious problems. Money, education, talent and youth are definitely over rated as the be-all and end-all of life. Faith, values, self-respect, at least one significant adult who was committed (rather than needing to be committed) – those could take someone places. Check out the movie and see if you agree with me.

In any case, to a con artist with no principles, the Christian message of “repent – be forgiven – experience God’s love and guidance – dedicate your life to serving others” – is, to use a polite word, nonsense. It is, to use Paul's word, “foolishness". But, Paul adds, "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”

For the message of life and hope offered by the Christian Gospel comes with an “or else”: if people insist (as some will) that they are smarter than God and know far better how to run their lives, they will ultimately find themselves to be like hikers lost in the woods at night with compasses that only point towards themselves. They will never find their way home because they have believed that their way is the best and only way and they already are “home” – hence compasses that point towards themselves.

Being lost in the woods at night can take some of the arrogance out of people. Eventually, people get cold, tired and hungry. How much more so if they are stuck in a “night” of their own choosing which is without end. How cold, tired and hungry will they be after the first thousand years of night with no dawn, which is eternity without God?

Which does not mean that life devoted to God is always going to be easy. Jesus makes that pretty clear when he says “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” People are not always going to love you for doing the right thing. In fact some will try to make your life miserable. Don’t let them. And also remember the second half of the beatitude: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Beatitudes turns the values of this world upside down: “The poor in spirit” – those who know they have not “arrived” spiritually but who desire to grow spiritually – receive the Kingdom of heaven. Those who mourn are comforted. The meek - those who are not arrogant and self-preoccupied – will inherit the earth. Take that, Enron bigwigs. Those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will be filled. The merciful will receive mercy, the pure in heart will see God, the peacemakers will be called children of God.

It all started with taking out the “compasses” with which we set our direction in life and setting them so they point toward God and not towards ourselves...unless we want to spend eternity lost in the dark. We have to check our compasses every day because worldly wisdom is very seductive. And then, like we learned in Kindergarten, it’s best to journey holding hands and looking both ways when we cross the street and journey towards the Promised Land together with the other very imperfect, forgiven, redeemed sinners.

Together we can help each other to “do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.” We have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

(The Rev.) Francis A. Hubbard

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church