Sermon August 15, 2010

Family Conflict

Scripture Isaiah 5:1-7 and Luke 12: 49-56

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ August 15 2010

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 5:1-7
This passage begins as a love song which becomes a trial. It contains a sophisticated play on words using 'mispat' (justice) with 'mispah' (bloodshed) and 'sedaqa' (righeousness) with 'se'aqa' (a cry). Time and again in prophetic writings the reader will be lead along one path before there is a sharp turnabout and then one finds oneself challenged or accused. God had ensured that his chosen people would have all the goodness and protection they needed so they could embody justice and righteousness, instead they choose violence and oppression.

1Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
3And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?
5And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

Luke 12: 49-56
In this lectionary reading for today, we see Jesus pressing on toward Jerusalem and the cross, or as he calls it, his “baptism.” For Jesus, his death is a divine judgment upon guilt, not his own guilt, but Israel's guilt. It is the same guilt that Isaiah wrote about 800 years earlier. Jesus brings a message of hope and redemption in the face of our guilt. Some are even healed by his touch or his words, and the one healed is sent away rejoicing. But while the person is rejoicing, another group will be muttering to itself, deciding how best to get rid of Jesus. “He expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” The result is that an abiding conflict seems to be ongoing as a back drop of the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. Is it any different today?

“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

54He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. 55And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Sermon
The fire of Jesus’ sacrifice creates a new community, a community not based on physical or genetic relationships but on spiritual ties of kinship. Jesus knew that his true mother, brothers and sisters were those who heard the word of God and followed it. But even a very close family can have conflict. From the disciples through the early church we see conflict arise from Jerusalem to Rome. Some of us get frustrated when churches are in conflict. It seems to be a poor representation of the Prince of Peace. How do we reconcile the angels’ herald of "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" with Jesus saying, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!”

Summer is the season of weddings. When two people get married they create a new family, but more than that, the connections with their families of origin change. This very ordinary change can cause conflict. Generally, we don’t like conflict. At least most of us put a lot of effort into avoiding conflict even to the detriment our relationships. Honest speaking and listening to one another can strengthen all relationships. But it can get heated, especially in a family. So why was Jesus so passionate to engage in this up and coming conflict? This was a family conflict that had been brewing for hundreds of years. It was much worse than The Hatfield–McCoy feud of West Virginia and Kentucky. It was closer to the divisions over race and gender that segregate people who have been considered unclean and unwelcome in worship. These restrictions had so divided God’s people so deeply that Isaiah would later write:

To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. (Isaiah 56: 4&5)

But by the time of Jesus the restrictions were even more stringent and detailed. Many believers focused their time, talent, energy and money to caring for the Temple, worship and right behaviors in living. Jesus wanted to challenge the source of this shift from justice issues such as care of “widows and orphans” which was God’s priority.

Let’s go back to the wedding. I often try to get couples to spend their efforts on their marriage rather than the wedding.
On average, couples that live (in the) Terre Haute (area) spend between $13,000 and $23,000 for their wedding.
I cannot even imagine how much time is put into a wedding. But the cost was surprising, even to me. If we go with the lower figure of $13,000, think what a young couple could do with that money. Buy a car, down payment on a home, set up a retirement plan?
Another draining event is the death of a family member. On top of grieving the loss the average cost of a funeral can run between $12 -15,000. And we know better than to think children are free! All these events, happy and sad, in the life of a family produce stress which can produce conflict.

There is a cable show called “Say Yes to the Dress.” Some of the hateful behaviors between the bride and her family members is shameful. They have lost their focus. They look like the cover of the bulletin with the Simpsons fighting. God is concerned about how we deal with conflict. Conflict is often generated because of limited resources: money, time, oil, food… God is very concerned about how we spend our resources. In Jesus’ life we are shown that wrestling with difficult decisions is valuable for our spiritual growth and our relationship with God.

Orderliness and harmony were great Stoic themes. At worst it meant everyone in their place, an unchanged and unchallenged status quo. For many people Christian peace is still seen as that kind of harmony, if not achievable outwardly, then at least achievable inwardly. The gospel then takes up its place beside all the others who promise serenity of life and ‘feel good’ spiritualities. But peace in the teachings of Jesus is found in unity with God and what God is doing in the world and a sense of solidarity with those travelling that path.

From last Sunday’s Mission Yearbook of Prayer reading I was struck with how challenging Rev. Kim’s message was. He wrote:
Many people who have lost their jobs and homes fall into homelessness. An estimated 3.5 million people are homeless each year. One out of every fifty children is homeless, one third of homeless people are veterans, and 1.5 million teens experience homelessness each year. Many seniors live out their final years in vehicles because they can’t afford rent.

What would you do if Jesus told you to sell your possessions and give to the poor (Luke 12:33), invite the homeless into your home (Matt. 25:35), or open rooms in our church and invite them in. If he were here with us today, wouldn’t he do ALL of the above?

Isaiah 1:10–17 shocks us by disqualifying our worship service, offering, and prayers unless we learn to do good: to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, and share with needy neighbors.

What can we do? (Rev. Kim) suggests that our churches include the issue of homelessness in pastoral prayers, Bible studies, and sermons. Churches could be a shelter for the homeless. They could offer community meals for the poor and open our parking lots and host a tent city. Or with this heat we could be a cooling spot. We could offer rental assistance for the homeless, build low-income homes in partnership with banks, builders, and other churches, and get involved with public policy advocacy to have an impact on policies related to poverty. What he doesn’t mention is the conflict that will rise up when we take seriously the challenge to serve God’s will over our own. The good news is this is family conflict. We love one another and we have worked hard to make our worship inclusive of a very diverse population of this family of God. The bad news is this is family conflict. It can be bitter and divisive, especially when we lose our focus, our purpose for being a family of God to “Love God and one another and make disciples.”

This is true for our own families as well. Family conflict can help us make good choices by challenging our thinking. Whether we are planning a wedding or dealing with the loss of a loved one, whether we are welcoming a new life among us our sending them off to college, conflict will be a part of our family dynamics. To suppress conflict to appear harmonious is not healthy for families or churches. If we are to challenge the ruts we get ourselves into, we will need to listen to others critique our choices, and offer our own critique of theirs. Sparks may fly. Jesus said, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” His passion for the fire of the Holy Spirit to come among us still lives in each of us today. We want families that expect the very best of our us and we want churches that give the very best that others may know the love of Jesus Christ. Amen.

RESOURCES
Pentecost 12C, Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia.

www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Average-Cost-Of-A-Funeral-In-The-United-States/490478

Pentecost 12, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia

Minute for Mission by The Rev. Dr. Jean Kim, organizer/adviser of national and local homeless networks, educator, preacher, seminar leader, and writer on homeless issues for August 8, 2010, Mission Yearbook of Prayer published by the Presbyterian Church USA.