A Tall Order for the Community of Believers
Scripture Psalm 26 read responsively and Romans 12:9-21
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ August 28, 2011
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute , Indiana
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 26 read responsively The words of this psalm can be spoken aloud in worship as we will be doing. Yet they are so intimate that they can be whispered in private devotions. No matter who prays this psalm, how they pray it, or where they pray it, its words convey an immensely active desire to act with integrity and enjoy a covenantal relationship with God.[1]
3For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.
6I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord,
7singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.
9Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.
SERMON
One commentator counted thirty admonitions in this passage. The admonitions or commands in this reading relate to four circles of relationships and behavior: (1) Christian community
(2) Hospitality to all
(3) Loving one’s enemies
(4) Living peaceable with everyone.[2]
Sometime those we love the most we treat the worst. But these are relationships that are life giving. Paul is encouraging us to love first before we criticize. Hugh Halter is an author and church planter and he says that the church is called to be missional in all of it life. Being missional just means that we don't live for ourselves.[3]
Unity does a great job of welcoming people like us into our church. The next step is harder to welcome those who are different. To receive those who challenge our way of doing things and thinking. The Bible is rich with accounts of hospitality… and we cannot miss the blessing and mystery that accompany the practice. When we turn to the law and the prophets, we frequently encounter exhortations to care for the stranger and to open our hearts, homes, and resources to the vulnerable ones. The very identity of the people of God as sojourners and aliens is a reminder of our dependence on God as host and of responsibility to deal graciously with literal aliens in our communities.
A quick review of Jesus’ life and ministry finds hospitality at the center. Jesus is both guest and host, dependent on others for welcome and startlingly gracious in his welcome to outsiders, seekers, and sinners. Meals were central to Jesus’ ministry and a shared meal soon became the center point of Christian worship. Hospitality is a lens through which we can read and understand much of the gospel, and a practice by which we can welcome Jesus himself.[4]
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. personally knew the challenge of loving one’s enemies. He gave a sermon in which he said, “The opportunity will presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time which you must not do it. There will come a time, in many instances, when the person who hates you most, the person who has misused you most, the person who has gossiped about you most, the person who has spread false rumors about you most, there will come a time when you will have an opportunity to defeat that person. It might be in terms of a recommendation for a job; it might be in terms of helping that person to make some move in life.
King’s comments made me think the movie The Help and Minny’s solution to Hilly’s evil behavior - a pie worth remembering – trust me it is not one you would want to eat. But King says “That’s the time you must not do it. That is the meaning of love. In the final analysis, love is not this sentimental something that we talk about. It’s not merely an emotional something. Love is creative, understanding goodwill for all (). It is the refusal to defeat any individual. When you rise to the level of love, of its great beauty and power, you seek only to defeat evil systems. Individuals who happen to be caught up in that system, you love, but you seek to defeat the system.”[5] I confess, I would rather let them eat pie. So working to love one’s enemies is a challenge.
Living peaceably with everyone
This is very different than trying to please everyone. But to live in peace is to live in love. Genuine love is the deepest theme in this section of Romans. There is also a theme of good and evil that operates throughout this text. Notice how "hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good" follows immediately after the opening title of "Let love be genuine." Then the good and evil theme is explicitly mentioned at the end of the text: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (12:21). This helps us see that genuine love is not just being nice to people. Genuine love has a moral orientation toward the good. When we show love toward someone, we are moving them toward God's goodness. To love someone is not simply to cater to specific likes and dislikes of that person. It is rather to act toward them in ways that help them experience more of God's goodness.[6]
So my sisters and brothers, be unafraid and let love rule in your life and build your relationships in love. Amen.
[1]Commentary by Eric Mathis, Instructor of Church Music and Worship Leadership at Samford University , Birmingham , AL
[2] Adapted from Commentary 2011by Mary Hinkle Shore , Associate Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul , MN
[3] Interview with Hugh Halter by Craig Cable, the National Director for Lifetree Café. See:http://lifetreecafe.com/3113.aspx
[4] Hospitality, a practice and a way of life by Christine D. PohlSee: ww.mennovision.org/Vol%203%20No%201/Pohl_Hospitality.pdf
[5] Loving Your Enemies preached November 17 1957 at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery , Alabama
[6] Commentary 2008 by Mark Reasoner, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Bethel University , St. Paul , MN
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