The Rev. Neale L. Miller

Sermon for June 1, 2008

Texts: Genesis 6:9-22, 7:24, 8:14-19/Matthew 7:21-29

Title: “Inconvenient Truths”

              “It is not what I don’t understand in the Bible that troubles me [Mark Twain once said]; it is what is perfectly clear that does.”  Friends, I give you once again the opening verse of the lesson I earlier read:  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

              Mark Twain may well have had that verse from Matthew in his sights when remarking on the Bible, particularly if he had read that verse in context. You see, the verse I quoted a moment ago is the first verse in the section that brings to a close Jesus’ most comprehensive teaching, his Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon begun in chapter five, extending through chapter seven, is packed with instruction much revered in the church.

               Recall that the Sermon opens with the Beatitudes, what scholar Emmet Fox describes as “a prose poem in eight verses which is complete in itself, and…constitutes what is practically a general summary of the whole Christian teaching.”  Should we deem that to be a too lofty assessment, consider the contents of those eight verses: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

                  We who read the Beatitudes are left to ponder what the world might look like if those “blessed” Jesus named wielded influence and power in our world today.  The Beatitudes and the rest of the Sermon on the Mount recast God’s vision of the world at creation into behavioral terms.  “If you choose to live as God created you to live you will receive these blessings in return.”

                 The Sermon on the Mount not only lays out a vision, it is also a call to action, a call to the hearer to be difference maker. “You are the salt of the earth.”  “You are the light of the world.”    

                 Called to live as salt and light in the world, Jesus uses his sermon to levy expectations on his audience that surpass expectations levied in the religious law. “You have heard that it was said to those in ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and   ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment…” “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.  But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well.”

                 “You have heard it said…but I say to you.”  In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus called his audience to reconsider some of the base assumptions they maintained about the world and their place in it.  To those who were worried about having ample reserves to maintain a livelihood he declares, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear…” Instead, “Ask, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds.”

                Yet even as Jesus counsels his audience not to be undone by the stresses of life, assuring them that their petitions will be heard and addressed, he issues a serious caution, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.  For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

                  The Sermon on the Mount was undoubtedly heard, as it is read today, with equal parts gratitude for the comforting assurance it offers---ask and you receive, and skepticism that the conditions for discipleship that Jesus lays out can be realistically met---the road is easy that leads to destruction.

                   We would obviously prefer to hear the comforting word rather than the judgmental one, and the comforting word is what you characteristically hear delivered from most American pulpits. Yet we do well to remember that the same Jesus who reaches out to the sinner and the downtrodden is the Jesus who exposed the hypocrisy of those who were in their own eyes righteous. Try as he might Jesus was incapable of removing the stone guarding the unrepentant heart of the self-righteous.

                To see ourselves as Jesus sees us, both the good and the bad, is the sum of the Christian vocation.  Few, however, attain the level of self-knowledge to make an accurate self-assessment.  Accentuating our self-worth on the one hand, we see nothing that needs correcting, diminishing our self-worth on the other we regard ourselves as irredeemable.  Scripture repeatedly demonstrates that Jesus made much better progress with the people of diminished self-worth, sinners in their own eyes, who knew their lives to be off course, than he did with those who could not be convinced of that reality. 

                    To close his Sermon on the Mount Jesus targets this latter group, persons who in their own eyes were presenting a solid resume to the Lord, a group, once again, that repeatedly tested the Lord’s skills as a communicator.

                    Jesus was presenting this group with what can best be characterized as an “inconvenient truth,” a phrase I have borrowed from former vice president, and presidential candidate, Al Gore; a phrase he uses to describe what inhabitants of the earth face as we are forced to deal with the fall out from global warming.  The fact that the earth has a diminished capacity to repair itself as a result of global warming is for us, and all other forms of life on the planet, an inconvenient truth.

                     Like airliners stacked up over our heads in a holding pattern, there are several inconvenient truths looking for a place to land. Global warming concerns us, but so too does the rising price of oil, falling home values, a shrinking middle class, and instability in the world that defies solution. We are inconvenienced by the truth that global warming is not likely to subside short of a massive international effort. We are inconvenienced knowing that the price of oil is unlikely to decrease. We are inconvenienced knowing that the home we own may not be saleable under current market conditions. We are inconvenienced knowing that nothing the peacemakers may attempt is likely to bring stability to a world where stark religious, economic, and social divisions exist.

                   Inconvenient truths. Is it just me, or are the inconvenient truths we face intruding into our world with more force everyday? There are realities we would just as soon forget about, but forgetting is getting more and more difficult particularly when pulling up to the pump for a fill. Inconvenient truths are the realities we wish not to deal with, realities we would like to forget. 

                    “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” qualifies as one of those inconvenient truths.  There were people in Jesus’ audience who had an inflated sense of their worth in Jesus’ eyes.  “Did we not prophesy…cast out demons…and do many deeds of power in your name?” they asked. It was payday and they wanted the compensation they deserved, nothing more than they deserved, but certainly nothing less.

                      There is a story that comes later in the Gospel of Matthew, perhaps you have heard it.  It involves a rich young man who approached Jesus seeking a payday, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”  To which Jesus responded, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The young man could, without blushing, report that insofar as the commandments were concerned his life was spotless. He was ready for a payday, the just reward he deserved. A spotless resume, however, didn’t earn the young man the approval he was seeking. The young man was forced to come face to face with an inconvenient truth. It would take more than his compliance with the commandments to win him admission into the kingdom of heaven. “If you wish to be perfect, [Jesus declared] go, sell your possessions, and give your money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Keep the commandments, yes, but don’t expect by that means to earn a place at God’s side.

                     “I love you just the way you are; don’t change a thing.” Those are twelve words our Lord Jesus never spoke.  When we are satisfied with the resume we have built: “I worship every Sunday.” “I have served faithfully as an elder of the church, as a minister of the church.”  “I have given generously of my time, talent, and treasure.” When we are satisfied that we have all our bases covered Scripture counsels us that we best take another look.

                      An authority on just about every subject, Professor Irwin Corey, once said, “If we don’t change direction soon, we will end up where we are going.”  Life under the reign of Jesus is standing against the inertia the values of the world exert upon us.  Another authority on just about every subject, Oprah Winfrey, once said: “If you want your life to be rewarding, you have to change the way you think.”  Life under the reign of Jesus is about identifying that which means most in life and making the necessary changes to achieve it.                 

                  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of the Father in heaven.”  In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus cautions us to beware of false prophets who offer the kingdom of heaven on the cheap.  “Beware of those who offer guarantees, ‘can’t fail’ roadmaps to salvation. If you trust and follow me I will take you where you need to go.”

                 Life with Jesus is accepting inconvenient truths, truths that shatter all self-serving notions that Jesus accepts us on our terms.  Bishop N.T. Wright writes, “When we see ourselves in the light of Jesus’ type of kingdom, and realize the extent to which we have been living by a different code altogether, we realize, perhaps for the first time, how far we have fallen short of what we were made to be. [He continues] This realization is what we call ‘repentance,’ a serious turning away from patterns of life which deface and distort our genuine humanness. It isn’t just a matter of feeling sorry for particular failings, though that will often be true as well.  It is the recognition that the living God has made us humans to reflect his image into his world, and that we haven’t done so.” Yet, he adds, and this is important, “the very message which announces that Jesus is Lord and calls us to obedience, contains the remedy [for our failure to reflect his image] forgiveness, unearned and freely given, because of his cross. [To this, Wright concludes] All that we can say is, ‘Thank you.’’    

                  To live under the reign of Jesus is a demanding vocation, an inconvenient truth for those who come to the gospel seeking personal affirmation and something positive to take home with them on a Sunday morning, but it is a liberating truth to those who recognize that the one who makes those demands, is merciful and ever ready to forgive us for deeds and thoughts we are too ashamed to admit. Thanks be to God for grace never ending, for grace that lifts us from our knees that we might share the bounty Jesus’ victory over sin and death earned. AMEN.

PRAYER

             Eternal God, even as your name is on our lips today, may your Spirit abide in our hearts.  May your light shine with renewed brilliance.  May your Word command more authority over our actions.  May your peace calm our restless hearts.

               Attune our ears to your voice, O God, that we may hear you above the sound and the fury that so often surrounds us. In a world awash with distractions silence has become a precious commodity, but it is a commodity, O God, that often profits us little, for we often fear silence rather than embrace it. Teach us, O Father, to use silence as a gateway into the inner life, a comfortable place to rest and reflect upon questions of life and its meaning.

                 O Christ, forgive us for speaking much and doing little.  The indictment you issued on those who stood proudly to list the efforts they made in your name falls on us as well. Though we serve in your name, O Lord, the works we undertake as churches most often are designed to meet our own needs. Called to go forth, baptize, and make disciples, we typically wait for the world to come to us, and enter our fellowship on our terms. Forgive us when we turn the church into a country club, a place where like minded people can go to meet and greet people of like background and experience. Have mercy on us for so attending to our personal needs and agendas that we have forgotten the servant vocation, O Christ, to which we have been called.

                  Challenged to accept inconvenient truths, O Lord, we live in denial of very real and pressing claims on us.  Grant us wisdom to mobilize and address the serious problems we face as the ecosystem upon which we depend deteriorates. Grant us wisdom as we face the rising costs of energy.  Grant us wisdom, O Lord, to meet the challenges of  health care, immigration, and crime. A nation blessed with great wealth and a bounty of resources, may our nation provide the example and leadership the times require.

                   Guide those upon whom great responsibility rests.  We pray for our leaders in municipal, state, and national governments as they are challenged to shoulder great burdens.  We pray for those who represent us in foreign lands, those charged to lead our military in the field, those who maintain our nation’s consulates and embassies, and those who manage the many relief efforts our nation supports.

                  Abide this day with those who face growing financial uncertainty, particularly those who find it increasingly difficult to put food on the table. Support those who lack the skills to command a living wage, O God, those who work hard but fail to get ahead. Be with immigrant workers upon whose labor we depend, women and men who have come to this land seeking opportunities not available in their native lands.  Created in your image as we are, Father, forgive us when we deny them the dignity and respect they deserve.              

              O Lord, strengthen the grief stricken in Myanmar and China in their time of need, and all those in this land who have been victimized by tornadoes, wild fires, and other events in nature.

              A community of support we gather, O God, friends who pray for and with each other.  Hear our prayers for those in this fellowship and our extended circle who bring special needs here today.