THOUGHTS ON BEING A RECKLESS SOJOURNER
Genesis 21:8-21, Matthew 10:24-39
I need to be honest with all of you and myself. Much of the content of our Biblical readings from Genesis 21 and Matthew 10 make me very uncomfortable.
I just cringe when I think about Sarah's words to Abraham, ìCast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.î Sarah, out of her anger, fear or jealousy could not even speak the name of Hagar and Ishmael; she just calls them this slave woman and her son. It is also difficult for me to picture in my mind the scene of Hagar placing Ishmael under that lone bush in the desert and then walking away because she could not bear to watch him die. The profound sadness and despair that Hagar, as a slave, must have felt to be cast out of her home to wander in the desert until she and her son died. It was only and thankfully by the grace and love of God that she and Ishmael are spared death but still what a difficult life she must have lead.
The reading from Matthew's gospel is also a disconcerting passage. Jesus is in the midst of giving instructions to the disciples in preparation for their first "missionary" effort.
I picture Matthew recalling these words of Jesus as he is writing his gospel. Matthew is concerned with passing this story on to the next generation. These words of Jesus can be difficult to hear but they are important words and not just for the believers that followed the generation or two after the disciples. These should be important words for us.
This is not a text for those who think of faith as something that is a casual occurrence or who come to church occasionally. These are not words for those who just want to sing familiar hymns, recite prayers, talk about some nice philosophy conveniently labeled Christianity, and then return home to live in a kind of non-faith world. These are words for reckless Christians. These are instructions for the sojourner, who realizes that the Christian pilgrimage is not easy but nevertheless is looking to finish the journey.
Throughout the course of his ministry, Jesus was continually crossing-over boundaries and barriers that separated people from God's love and life's gifts. Jesus accepted dinner invitations and sat down to banquets with those who were considered sinful, unclean, and unfit. Jesus reached across the barrier between the diseased, the outcasts, and drew them back into health and wholeness with his healing touch. Jesus bridged the wide gulf between the social and economic classes of his day.
What Jesus did in his ministry was risky and it often put him at cross-purposes with those in authority. Once again listen to these words, ìA disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master...so have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known....Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.î
To think that the life I live as a disciple of Christ would fill me with fear. This would not be what I would want for my faith journey. And really nowadays, is this what we as Christians, as Presbyterians face when we openly proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ. Yeah, we might sometimes offend family members with our religious beliefs but really could it be ìman against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.î Can we ever really understand the original context of these words, ìWhoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.î
I just don't know if any of us could imagine ourselves in such a dire situation as this when it comes to family and faith. I do believe the early followers of Jesus found themselves struggling with these issues. We know from the life of Jesus, the lives of the disciples and from the stories in the books of Acts that life and death decisions were part of the Christian life of faith.
If we can even begin to equate these struggles in Matthew with our lives, I think fear is what comes out on top. I wonder how many of us are limited like that by our fears. Fear of rejection...fear of failure...fear of looking foolish...fear of being hurt...fear of being alone...fear of intimacy...fear of being taken advantage of...fear of change...fear of being criticized....The list goes on and on. I wonder if you recognize any of those fears as your own?
Some of us are ruled by our fears because we lack confidence in ourselves. That lack of confidence is a tremendous barrier to our achieving what God has called us to achieve. We have doubts about ourselves and if we are honest there are times when we have doubts about God. Is that really a loving and benevolent God up there or is the universe filled with a God of anger, a God who is always judging?
And that is where I think this notion of recklessness comes into play. When I use the word recklessness it is not to be understood as irresponsibility, carelessness or thoughtlessness. We need to really and truly believe that we are forgiven and loved by a God who loves us with an unimaginable love. We need to really believe that what we do in and within this community of faith can and will change our lives.
The recklessness that I propose is belief that as Christians who are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world, we should be utterly unconcerned with the consequences of our actions. We should proceed without caution. Because we are so loved by God there should be a reckless extravagance about how we live out our faith.
Barbara Brown Taylor, who has been named as one of the best preachers in the United States, writes this about today's passage from Matthew. ìIt's hard for us to connect this to being "good Christians," and we certainly don't want our lives, and the world we inhabit most of the week, to be too upset by the things we hear on Sunday morning (or read each evening before we go to sleep, if we're in the habit of ending our day with the Bible). Sure, it is the gospel, but there is no reason to get all upset about it. Being a good Christian is not all that different from being a good citizen, after all. You just stay out of trouble and be nice to your neighbors and say your prayers at night. There is absolutely no reason to go make a spectacle of yourself...." She goes on to say, "The gospel is not a flashlight but a fire. It can warm and it can burn. The gospel is not a table knife but a sword. It can set free and it can divide. The gospel is not pablum. It is powerful stuff, powerful enough to challenge the most sacred human ties, but as frightening as it is, it is not finally to be feared...."
And that is the challenge, what kind of Christians are we going to be? Christians who move silently through this world or sojourners who live out God's love with reckless extravagance.
I would like to ask all of you to turn to the second page of the bulletin and listen I read The People's Preparation. "What is therefore, our task today? Shall I answer: Faith, hope and love? That sounds beautiful. But I would say--courage. No--even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness...to restlessly seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God." This quote is from the book, The Irresistible Revolution but originally it is a quote from Kaj Munk, a Danish pastor killed by the Gestapo in 1944.
Again, what kind of Christians are we going to be? Christians who move silently through this world or sojourners who live out God's love with reckless extravagance.
Granted, if we choose to be sojourners who live out God's love with reckless extravagance, well that can be an overwhelming challenge and task. Each of us has to figure out what that means for our lives.
I like how Eugene Peterson translates this passage in The Message, which is a version of the New Testament in contemporary English. ìDon't think I've come to make life cozy....If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't serve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me. We are intimately linked in this harvest work....This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing."
Let's not take a chance to lose out on anything that God is calling us to do. Let's take the opportunity to live recklessly, to share the love of God with others with reckless extravagance. Amen
June 22, 2008
The Reverend Mary Alice Lyman
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