Always Being Re-Formed

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18, Matthew 22:34-46
October 29, 2017
First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL
Christina Berry

Our first reading is from the book of Leviticus, the third book of the Bible and an entire book of rules and codes and commandments. We don’t often have sermons from the book of Leviticus in this church. That’s partly because today’s selection from the Revised Common Lectionary is the only one from the entire book; over an entire three-year cycle, this is all that is used. Interestingly, while these verses from Leviticus form what is the heart of Torah, the five books of law, they are often overlooked. In fact, it is possible that Leviticus is the most quoted and the least studied by some Christians. See, some Christians are very fond of quoting Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 as clobber verses against LGBT folks, but they are not terribly interested in Leviticus 19. Perhaps that is because it is easier to grab two verses to set themselves up as judges of others. It is much more challenging to be grabbed by these verses which set us up to be judged in light of God’s holiness. Slinging a Bible verse out of context at someone is much less demanding that looking at ourselves in light of a command to be holy and to love. Let’s listen for God’s word to us in Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them:
You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
You shall not render an unjust judgment;
you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great:
with justice you shall judge your neighbor.
You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people,
and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor:
I am the LORD.
You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin;
you shall reprove your neighbor,
or you will incur guilt yourself.
You shall not take vengeance
or bear a grudge against any of your people,
but you shall love your neighbor as yourself:
I am the LORD.

In our gospel reading from Matthew, the gospel that has been called “the most Jewish of the four gospels,” we hear Jesus quoting the scripture from Leviticus. Once again, he is being challenged by his detractors, who are trying to trip him up, prove him wrong, or catch him in a verbal trap.

It is worth remembering, as we commemorate this 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, that as long as there have been humans and religions, there have been disputes and disagreements about those religions. It is also worth noting that this text makes certain claims about Jesus, and certain claims on us, as followers of Jesus. Let’s listen for God’s gracious word to us today in Matthew 22:34-46:

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer,
asked him a question to test him.

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

He said to him, “'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.
And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together,
Jesus asked them this question: "What do you think of the Messiah?
Whose son is he?"
They said to him, "The son of David."
He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord,
saying, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet"'?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?"

No one was able to give him an answer,
nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

I know that probably most of you are not quite as excited as I am
about Reformation Day, on this 500th Anniversary. 

In fact, my brilliant idea for a huge church party on Tuesday, October 31,
was about as appealing as… I don’t know, maybe, Martin Luther’s 95 theses.

I thought it would be great!
You know, all of us dress up as great Reformation figures:
Martin Luther, John Calvin, Joan of Arc, Henry the Eighth, John Knox,
Melancthon, Zwingli, Catherine of Aragon, or Anne Boleyn.

Wouldn’t that be FUN?!

Yeah, well, I guess not.

But even though we are not having a party,
this is still a day worth commemorating,
because it was so very important in the history of Christianity
and the history of the entire world.
And there are few scripture selections that connect as well
as the two we have heard today.
These commandments from both the first and the second testaments
form the basis for who we are as Christians.

Those five solas you heard about earlier: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone,
and all for the glory of God, form the basis for all our beliefs.
They sound simple, but they were outrageous claims to make,
and there was tremendous, violent backlash against these statements
and against those who made them.
People died standing up for these assertions, and for their right to make them.

For some of us, it might be hard to imagine how this could be.
How can something which seems so clear and logical
be such a dangerous stance?
How can the truth of God be a subject of dispute?
How can scripture, grace, faith, Jesus and the glory of God be argued?
It seems so obvious.

But we’ve seen it over and over, generation after generation;
we see it still today: God’s sovereignty – the lordship of God over all life,
and the call to love God and love neighbor,
are given second place – or even tenth place or no place! –
behind the assumed authority of those who hold power.

Way back in the days of Moses, the book of Leviticus was given by God,
as part of the Torah, to the people of Israel.
It contained 613 commandments, or mitzvot.
That is an enormous number of rules to follow.
Who could even remember all of them?
There are cleanliness codes and priestly codes
and purity codes and dietary codes.
But the summary of the law is found right here in Leviticus 19.

I’ve told you this story before, but it bears repeating.
Rabbi Hillel, the great teacher of the first century BCE,
was challenged to recite the entire Torah while standing on one foot.
He took the challenge and stood on one foot saying:
“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.
That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn."

Jesus knew this, of course – knew that this commandment was the greatest.
One wonders whether those who were asking him knew it also,
but had chosen to ignore it,
or whether they simply had forgotten love of God and other
in their efforts to get all the other rules right,
and to make sure that everyone else did, too.

In any case, while Jesus answered correctly,
the rest of the conversation probably made them madder,
because he was asserting his authority as the son of God,
the God who had said, “Be holy as I am holy.
I am the Lord your God.”

Those two entwined commandments –
to love God with all our hearts, minds and strength,
and to love our neighbors as ourselves,
are so simple, and so challenging.

They can form us, and re-form us, and continue to reform us
throughout our lives, if we will let them.
But truthfully, it is so much easier for me to make others my project,
rather than the objects of my love.
I’m only human, so it is much more tempting for me to work on reforming you
than to attend to being re-formed myself.

Jesus saw that, of course,
and that’s why he told us to get the log out of our own eye
before we try to get the speck out of someone else’s eye.

But many Christians would rather speak and act
not from the heart of Jesus’ teachings,
but from the center of their own power and ego and judgment.
Others might put all their heart and mind and strength
toward figuring out all the rules, trying to both obey and enforce them.

This reformation project is ongoing,
because we are such stubborn and pride-filled humans!

So it is worthwhile to ask: “How do we go about obeying this commandment?
How do we live in ways that bring glory to God,
that demonstrate our love for God, and love for our neighbor?”

We can find some answers back in good old Leviticus,
the source of Jesus’ ethical teachings.
Not in the clobber verses, but in this 19th chapter.

It is here that we find what it looks like to love our neighbors.
We are told that God’s justice is the same for the rich as for the poor,
and that our obligation is to care for those who are needy.

We are not to profit from the harm or oppression of others,
but rather to speak and act in ways that lead to justice.
When a neighbor is in danger of being harmed or injured,
we cannot stand idly by, but must speak and act on their behalf.
Some of our neighbors need to be awakened to the plight of our community,
and some of our neighbors will join us as we seek to bring peace and justice.
Some of our neighbors will speak to us
in ways that we might find uncomfortable,
in ways that confront our sin.
Sometimes we will need to confront our prejudice and privilege;
we will need to confront our discomfort with those who are different.

True love of God and neighbor demands that we listen, without reproach.
True love of God and neighbor will open us to being re-formed.
True love of God and neighbor will lead us to roll up our sleeves
and join in with what God is doing in the world!

Opening ourselves to being re-formed, always and every day,
is opening our eyes to see others as God sees them:
beloved, beautiful people, made in the image of God.

Like those great reformers before us, this involves some risk.
We risk our pride and our egos when we let God’s love lead us,
and we don’t get to be in charge of everything and everyone.
We resign from our self-appointed jobs as executive directors of the world.
We risk some people being uncomfortable with us,
or even angry with us.

Not everyone will applaud our efforts for love, peace, justice, diversity.
Some people will just ask us to sit down and shut up.
We might even get unfriended on Facebook!
But the rewards are far greater than any risk.

I’m not talking about some far-off reward in heaven, some starry crown.
I’m talking about the reward that only deep love of humanity can bring,

the knowledge that our risks on behalf of others are worth it;
that our actions on behalf of the alien and stranger
are food for those who are starving for justice and hope;
that our words of love are water in the desert to a thirsty world;
that our hospitality is a blanket of love and acceptance,
enfolding those who are shivering from the cold exclusion of others;
that our small acts of kindness to those who are isolated
are as if we are breaking down the bars of a prison of loneliness.

To be Reformed and always being reformed, subject to the word of God,
is to be an ambassador of Christ, an emblem of God’s love.
This is our calling, and the center of our lives.

So there is no need to have a Reformation Day costume party,
or to dress up like John Calvin or Joan of Arc –
as much fun as that WOULD have been (grin)…

We only need be ourselves, reformed and always being reformed,
loving God and loving others,
and bringing glory to God and God alone.

Thanks be to God!
Amen.