Today’s gospel is good news for some and perhaps not for others. Like the sermon in the mount in Matthew, the sermon in the plain makes it clear that the kingdom of God is very different from kingdoms of the world, and, not only that, but this sermon also has some VERY pointed words for those who do not heed Jesus’ words.
The woes that Jesus speaks of are not just for those who heard them when Jesus preached them, but they are for us as well.
Those who have money and wealth are placed on notice; they have enjoyed their wealth and good fortune, but a time will come when they will no longer enjoy them.
It’s not that being wealthy in itself is bad; rather it’s what one does with their wealth that is at issue. When our wealth and good fortune become our gods, we have missed the point of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
For those of us that consider ourselves disciples, ( and I assume that’s all of us), we need to be about the work that the Holy Spirit has given us to do. And, make no mistake; we all have work that the Spirit has given us to do. All of us have gifts and resources that we might think about using to help bring about God’s kingdom. We don’t even have to go very far to do it. We will, however, have to potentially confront what we think about the poor, the sick, those in prison, anyone whom Jesus has placed in front of us to serve. I think it might be easier to minister to those who are far away because we aren’t confronted by their presence once we come home. Ministering to those who are in our neighborhoods means we might have to see them regularly. And, if we see them, we might have to be uncomfortable, and if we are uncomfortable, we might be compelled to take risks and help. When we minister to our closer neighbors, we might also need to be in relationship with them which can get kind of messy. Relationship is where the real ministry occurs. It’s certainly where the hardest ministry occurs, I think. We can write checks, which is a good thing, but it can keep us removed from the people we are helping.
When we know people’s stories and when they know ours, people become harder to ignore. Relationship makes the ministry risky; it means we must come out of our comfort zone and then we risk being known and seen in ways that are different from how the rest of the world sees us. It also means that we might get taken advantage of, or that we might suffer a hit to our self esteem or our self image which is never a comfortable thing, but perhaps it’s a necessary thing.
But that’s kind of the point in a way. So long as even one of God’s children is hungry, or poor, or in danger… none of us should be at rest. The love that God has for all of God’s people should make us uneasy if we are paying attention. So many of God’s beloved are suffering all manner of violence, we must confront the people and systems that are doing the violence. Some of it cannot be seen readily; spiritual and emotional violence are sometimes not seen until it is too late. That’s why being in relationship with God’s beloved is so important. A check will not help the teenager who is getting bullied for being different; but that same teenager having adults around them that truly care about who they are? It could literally mean the difference between life and death. That is a risk worth taking.
There is much going on in our society that would encourage us to look out for ourselves; but we know that our Christian duty to our neighbors occurs between Sundays; coming to worship God is what feeds us. What we do when we leave here will hopefully compel feed others in the ways they are longing to be fed.
The kingdom of God is here and now. It is our responsibility as disciples of Jesus to continue to do his work to the best of our ability. We are the ones who are to bring good news to the poor, to feed the hungry, and comfort the desolate. I suspect that it might be difficult and unpopular to be involved with others in these ways. We minister with others in these ways because that’s what it means to be a disciple. May the Holy Spirit be our companion on the way, help us to be willing to take risks and give us the gifts we need so that we might love our neighbors.