Sunday, February 13, 2022

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 15:(1-11) 12-20
Luke 6:17-26

Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.

San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the United States, and it is in the top ten fastest growing cities. This fast growth means constant road construction as the city tries to keep up with the number of people on the roads. The plan is to extend one road we drive regularly by several lanes, but until then we are constantly dealing with traffic jams. We often make a choice to take a different path, although those aren’t always a good choice since everyone else is going that way. Which is worse, sitting in very slow-moving traffic or getting stopped by a dozen traffic lights?

The construction is not always easy in such a big town because there isn’t room to put more roads. This is why we end up having highway interchanges that look like an octopus. There is one in Dallas that is the confluence of five highways and is known as the Spaghetti Bowl. These highways come together in a confusing collection of suspended roads. There is a dozen or more bridges at this type of junction; the highways and exit ramps tangle together with too many arms and no particular direction. I have often wondered if anyone even knows where all the roads go. We know where they go when we are driving on them, but can anyone stand in the midst of these super-junctions and point out which road is which?

There is an interstate highway that runs right through the center of town. It was built years ago when San Antonio was a much smaller city, but eventually that road could not handle the number of cars and trucks that were traveling both locally and cross country. Traffic necessitated a change; more lanes were needed, but there was no space to widen the roads. The only way to build was up. At the densest parts of the city the roads split and are stacked on top of each other. Drivers need to decide whether to follow the upper level or the lower one. Over the years I have learned which way I need to go to get to different destinations, but there were years when I was confused. I didn’t know if I needed to go up or down.

This decision is usually not a question of life or death, although it could be. If I take the wrong level when traveling to a certain exit, I have to cross several lanes of traffic very quickly. During a busy time of day, this could mean missing my exit or causing an accident. We need to make similar decisions when it comes to our life of faith. If we follow the wrong road, we will end up in a place of destruction rather than in God’s eternal kingdom.

I teach an adult Sunday school class at my church and over the years we have found that an underlying concept in every study has been the idea of Two Ways. In the book of Revelation John asks, “Which do you choose: God or the world?” We saw similar statements in the Didache, an ancient Greek document that was the earliest known catechism, probably dated even before Mark’s Gospel. That study asked the question, “Which way do you choose, life or death?” Though slightly different questions, they demand that we consider how we live our lives. The Sermon on the Mount compares the wide and narrow gates and makes other comparisons like the firm foundation and the sandy one.

Our scriptures for this week offer two ways to go: the path of blessing and the path of woe.

Today’s technology makes it easier to choose the right road. GPS on our phones will usually direct us to the right lane for an upcoming exit. It will give you advance notice about changes in direction. If you make a wrong turn, it will recalculate and find a better way. It will even see upcoming traffic and redirect you to the quickest way. Unfortunately, these technologies are not always perfect. Online maps are not always reliable. I was in a strange city a few years ago when my GPS went offline. I was on a busy highway and had no idea where I needed to go next. I had to get off an exit and find a parking lot so I could reconnect. Then it recalculated but I ended up driving in circles in a confusing neighborhood until I eventually found my way.

I don’t mind getting lost, because sometimes you see the most interesting things during that kind of adventure. We learned that lesson when we were living in England. We almost always found a fascinating historical site or a beautiful view when we made a wrong turn. We also learned that it was better to follow signs than to try to follow a specific route. In Cornwall we found that many of the ‘roads’ were little more than dirt tracks through cornfields. We learned to follow the signs, always heading toward the next city in our path. If we took a wrong turn at one roundabout, we would find an exit off the next roundabout headed in the right direction.

Those times were some of the most exciting because we found ourselves on an adventure. We never knew what we might find around the next corner. Unfortunately, that might be something terrible rather than good. I have heard horror stories of people who became lost making a wrong turn and who have found themselves in dangerous situations. People have gotten stuck in snow drifts after turning on the wrong road. If a driver happens into the wrong neighborhood they might find themselves victims of robbery or violence. Being lost might mean being late for an important appointment. So, it is important to know which way to go. Relying on our own wits or mistaken maps can lead to horrible circumstances.

Unfortunately, when it comes to living our lives, we often try to follow our own wits. Go into any bookstore and you’ll find shelves filled with self-help books, most of which are based on one or two successes, but which are not really reliable for most people. The books are purchased with the expectation that the program will work, but the reader often finds that self-help has disadvantages. “Self-help” means not relying on the help of others. Most of all, “self-help” means relying on anything but the One from whom all help flows.

When we try to do things on our own, we turn our back on God; we get lost when we turn our hearts away from Him. Jeremiah wrote that a person whose eyes are not on the Lord will be like a shrub in the desert that misses the stream when it comes. This is an interesting image, since a shrub cannot move toward the water even if it can see when it is coming. Desert storms cause flash floods as the rainwater fills the dry creek beds. The shrub can’t move toward the water, but desert plants have adapted to take advantage of the brief moments of water when they come. Jeremiah reminds us to keep our eyes on God so that we will always see His mercy and grace. Otherwise, we will try to handle things on our own and get lost along the way.

The psalmist writes, “Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers...” There are many things in this world that want to direct our path. We are tempted by people and their expectations for us. We are led by our desires and our lusts. The psalmist warns the reader to not walk, stand, or sit in the ways of the wicked. He says, “Do not follow the advice of those who would set you on the wrong path. Do not conform to the ways of the world. Do not join in the wickedness of those who are traveling their own way.” The life Jesus was giving to the apostles was not going to be one of fame, authority, or power. Satan tried to tempt Jesus to work toward those things, but He always had His eyes on His Father. The life to which Jesus was calling His disciples would be one of service, humility, and trust in the power of God.

Jeremiah makes a similar point in today’s Old Testament lesson. “Cursed is the man who trusts in man.” This seems very harsh since we have to trust one another. As a matter of fact, trust between people is vital for strong relationships. However, Jeremiah here is talking about priorities. The Israelites had turned their back on God, they had stopped trusting Him to meet their needs. When they saw themselves in suffering or pain, or experienced persecution from their enemies, they decided to take matters into their own hands. They turned to neighbors for help. They turned to foreign nations for their protection. They turned to the strength of men to stand up against an enemy that only God could defeat.

In the verse that follows our text, Jeremiah makes another harsh point. He wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?” This is a particularly interesting statement just days before Valentine’s Day when hearts rule. It is at this time of year that we focus on feelings. We follow our hearts. This is not limited to Valentine’s Day, of course, or even romantic love. As a matter of fact, too many Christians center their faith on feelings rather than on God’s truth. Many churches describe spiritual experiences in terms of emotions. A particularly moving service is said to have been powerful and Spirit-led because the music brought tears to the eyes of the worshippers. Many think that happiness or an unnatural sense of joy must be the product of some spiritual encounter. After all, Jesus is all about love, and love is all about the heart, so our spiritual life must be ruled by the heart and emotions, right?

Jeremiah tells us, “No.” The heart is deceptive. Following our heart might just lead us on a path that does not go in the way God would have us go. The Corinthians followed their hearts, not the love of Christ. They fulfilled their wishes, satisfied their desires and sought after spiritual things, ignoring or even rejecting anything of the flesh. It was easier for salvation to be simply spiritual because it left the believer with no responsibilities in this world.

If resurrection is only spiritual, then the work of the cross is finished and there is no need for the hope or the promise of faith. This leaves us with the attitude that everything we do in this world is meaningless so we have the freedom to do whatever we want, to follow our hearts. In this manner, the Corinthians were able to accept the new faith of Christ and benefit from whatever it was they thought they would get from believing, and yet continue living in the ways of their pagan past. They had the best of both worlds. This is the way too many Christians are living today.

Thomas Edison was one of the most prolific of all the inventors, having patented more than a thousand inventions throughout his life. He focused on communications, developing telegraphic equipment, transmitters, and receivers. With the money earned from successful inventions, he set up the first large scale industrial research laboratory. He was also known for his work with incandescent lighting and generators. He only made one significant scientific discovery, but he did not find a practical use for the finding, so he did not pursue it. It is thought that his success was due more to perseverance than any special insight. He is quoted as saying, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

In December 1914, his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey caught fire, destroying millions of dollars’ worth of equipment and research. The record of his life’s work was wiped out. Edison’s son found his father watching the burning building. “My heart ached for him,” Charles said. “He was no longer young and everything was being destroyed. He spotted me. ‘Where is your mother?’ he shouted. ‘Find her. Bring her here. She’ll never see anything like this again as long as she lives.’” The next day as he walked through the charred remains of his work, Edison said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” Edison was not a young man at the time, but he knew that we can always bounce back better than ever.

We can respond to trouble one of two ways. We can look into ourselves and find only despair or we can cry out to the only one who can make things right.

We all face disaster and somehow we find the strength and courage to bounce back. Illness is overcome; loss is regained. Most people are able to take adversity and make their lives better for it. It usually takes the help of others: a word of encouragement or an offer of support. Disaster is not permanent, though it may seem like we will never recover. There only one thing that cannot be overcome with perseverance or resilience is death. Only in Christ do we bounce back from the death of our flesh, though there are those who do not think this is important or even possible.

Charles Edison thought the fire was the end of his father’s career, but Thomas knew that there would be a tomorrow. Those who look forward with hope to what can happen after disaster find themselves stronger and better for the adversity. There are those who are truly devastated by illness or fire, who just can’t seem to overcome. When it comes to death, the difficulty is even greater because death is permanent. Those with no hope face the loss of a loved one with emotions that are impossible to overcome: mourning, fear, regret, anger, hatred and confusion. We have to face those emotions because death is difficult for those left behind, but those who believe in Jesus have His strength to help them triumph. If there is nothing, no way to bounce back after death, then our faith is in vain. But we know that Christ has been raised and in Him we too are raised to a new life. All our mistakes are burned away and we start anew in the eternal kingdom of God, to live and love forever.

An anonymous author wrote a story about a group of alumni returning to visit an old university professor. They were highly established n their careers, but their conversations quickly turned into complaints about stress in work and in life. The professor offered his guests coffee; they had the choice of an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite. He told them to help themselves. When they all had a cup of coffee, the professor called their attention to the cups they chose. “Notice how all the nice looking, expensive cups have been chosen, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eying each other’s cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee! The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.”

The Gospel lesson for today do not present a very pleasant life. This passage, often referred to as “The Sermon on the Plain,” is a brief summary of what we find in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Jesus tells us what it means to be blessed, which is at times translated “happy.” Can we really say, “Happy are the poor, the hungry, the weeping, the hated, and the persecuted”? Can we really say we would be happy in any of those situations?

One of my favorite stories is “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. It is the story a tree that loves a boy to the point of willingly giving him everything she has. Each step along life’s journey, the boy thinks that he will be happy if only he has just one more thing like money, a home and family, a boat. In the end he is old, tired and still sad. All she has left to give him is a stump on which he can rest. There they found happiness together.

Happiness or blessedness is not about having the fancy cup, a lot of money or the best home or material possessions. We are truly happy when we are content to live and serve God with our whole hearts no matter what cup holds our life. It is hard to rejoice in suffering, and we should never seek suffering just so that we can appear to be one of those who are blessed. We are blessed when we are content and rejoice in the life which God has given to us, serving Him with our hearts, our hands and our voices. We know that there is more to our hope than happiness according to the ways of the world. Blessedness is found when we rest in God, when we trust in Him.

Have you ever been asked about your happiest day? Most of us will answer something like our wedding day or the day we had a child. Others will have unique moments like a particularly fun trip or a gathering with special friends. I can remember some specific days when I was truly happy, but the answer is hard because it depends on what it means to be happy.

Jesus was not referring to a specific moment when He said, “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy.” As a matter of fact, in the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus said to rejoice when your world is turned upside down. He told us to leap for joy when we were experiencing hardship and persecution. He taught them that the reward would be great when people hate us, exclude us, revile us, and defame us. He was not telling us to seek this persecution. He was telling us to trust in Him, for the hate, exclusion, revulsion and defamation will come on His account.

Jesus had just called His closest disciples, twelve of them, to be apostles. This was a special designation, and the decision did not come easy for Jesus. He spent a night in prayer, seeking God’s will in the matter so that He would make the right choices. Those twelve would become the center of Jesus’ ministry, the leaders to whom other disciples would look for inspiration and information. They would be with Jesus all the time, at His most personal moments and in the midst of great crowds. They would hear the stories, but also would be taught the deeper meaning. They would receive a special revelation from Jesus, not because they were special but because they were chosen to take the ministry of Jesus farther than He could take it.

Immediately following this commissioning, Jesus took them to a place where many people were gathering to be touched and healed by Jesus. The crowds wanted Jesus to cast out their demons and cure their dis-ease. They wanted to hear what He had to say. It was a miraculous moment, the people were simply touching Him and were being healed. It almost sounds as if being in Jesus’ presence was enough to bring transformation to a life and a body. The disciples were there in the midst of this, and they were Jesus’ most important companions. They were the apostles.

It would have been very easy for them to find joy in that moment, to experience a sense of pride and haughtiness. Jesus had chosen them to carry this ministry to the world. They could have reveled in the attention and let it all go to their head. This was a high point in the ministry of Jesus. It is the kind of mountain top experience that we all want to experience. Every day should be like this, and they thought that if it was then the ministry would spread throughout the world. They were probably very happy as they saw the possibilities of a successful future in Jesus’ Kingdom on earth.

Jesus turned their world upside down. “Blessed are the poor, the hungry, those who weep and those who are hated.” He told them to expect to be excluded, insulted, and rejected. This was not the direction anyone wants to take with their life they are certainly not times to rejoice and leap for joy. Persecution is frightening, disappointing, and disheartening. Most people react to rejection with a change of heart. We will do whatever is necessary to be accepted and loved. We will do whatever we can to be successful like they were on that day of healing on the plain, even if it means conforming to the expectations of those around us. This is the wrong path.

Jesus said, “Happy are you when you are poor, hungry, weeping and hated.” Instead of conforming to the expectations of the world, the disciples would have to choose another way. They would have to trust in God, not man. In this scripture, blessedness or happiness has nothing to do with satisfaction. Instead, it is about contentment. We can be poor or hungry and blessed, not because we are satisfied but because we know that God will provide everything we need. We can weep and still be happy, not because we will laugh but because our joy is founded on something beyond our circumstances. We can be hated and still rejoice because we know that there is a love that conquers the world, and that love is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord.