First Congregational Church in Auburn UCC, August 4, 2024
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
If there’s any one directive from the Bible that is totally discouraging, it’s this one: be perfect…as your heavenly Father is perfect. That God is perfect is no problem, of course, but that I should be perfect like that – well, that’s a major challenge.
All this section of Matthew is a series of impossible statements, impossible asks of us…. those who follow Jesus, it says – never get angry…. never commit adultery… never lie…. never smack back in an argument or a fight.. love your enemies.
And then – be perfect. What we’re being asked to do here is impossible, not just for you or me, but for anyone, right? So, why is it here? What does it mean for us?
It is a radical re-orienting of how we live our lives. This section calls us to leave behind the “good enough for government work” point of view, and to live into our true capacities to be better.
A lot of the time, when we read in this section we focus on the specific things God calls us to do, but today, I want us to think together about what it means when God points us towards all of these ways of being. Think about it this way: when God looks at us, does God see people who are content with the way things are, the ways they’re living — or does God see in us, the potential to be better, to come closer to God’s vision for our world?
And if God sees in us the capacity to come closer to perfection, then what resources does God give us to strengthen and guide us on the way? How will we learn to adjust our expectations? Where will we gain the confidence to follow this call?
Because God is not throwing us into the deep end and expecting us to instantly be able to swim. God knows it is not easy to change direction and that we will need help and guidance on our journey. And this task is especially important in these contentious times. So, we have help available.
We grow in our faith when we gather together, like we’re doing this morning. Even when you don’t agree with what I’m saying, the opportunity to think together — and maybe, even more true when you don’t agree – that opportunity to think together is an important way to grow in faith.
We grow in our ability to practice our faith through attending Bible study. It’s part of the essential nature of the congregational understanding of Christianity, that we are called to live in community, to do things like discussing faith or studying the Bible – not alone, but with the folks who share our commitment to this church and its ways.
We grow in our love for one another when we gather regularly to share in Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper. It is in the telling and re-telling of the story of Jesus, the physical sharing of bread and cup, that we remember how we are part of a fellowship which not only extends throughout the world today, but extends back in time to the days of Jesus. Communion is the act which binds us together, across the ages, which brings us together even when death divides us, which reminds us who we are and whose we are.
God calls on us to be perfect, but not because we need to be perfect to be loved by God. We are loved and accepted right now, as we are… but we are invited to move further in and higher up, to be our best, to let God’s love so shine in our lives that we bring that love to all the world.
So today, take hold of that accepting love. When the communion is served, take and eat to be nourished to be your very best person. Let the love of Christ change your world for the better.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
© 2024, Virginia H. Child
To Believe is to Care. . . To Care is to Do 