They say that hindsight is 20/20. They say that truth can be seen most clearly in the rear view mirror. One of the more impactful things I’ve heard is when your life if over, you can look back and see the landscape littered with the evidence of God’s presence. Those are different ways of saying that you can see most clearly all the intricacies of a situation after it is past.
In our first lesson, we are reading the climax of the Joseph narrative. Joseph, who was a dreamer, a spoiled brat and the apple of his father’s eye, was not looked upon with favor by his 11 brothers. They got so fed up with him, that they sold him to a passing caravan as a slave. Then they told their father that he’d been eaten by a wild beast. Joseph had a number of ups and downs as a slave - sometimes favored and sometimes imprisoned. But because he had the ability to interpret dreams, he eventually found favor with Pharaoh and was elevated to ruler status in Egypt. He proved his worth by saving the country from the great famine and when his brothers came looking for food, he eventually revealed himself to them. That is where our lesson picks up today.
He could have been very angry - they expected him to be. No one would have blamed him for holding a grudge against them and exacting revenge. But he didn’t. He not only forgave them, but he embraced them and provided for them and their families during the remaining 5 years of famine; He gave them a place to live and food to eat.
He interpreted everything that happened to him in light of God - as an orchestrated dance that eventually placed him in the right spot at the right time to be the saving grace, not only for Egypt, but also for his own family who had denied him. Not all of his journey was pleasant - he was unjustly accused and abused and left to rot in a dungeon - but in the long run he allowed himself to be used by God, and he forgave those same brothers telling them, “You meant it for evil. God meant it for good.” I wonder how many of us could be so gracious under similar circumstances?
But if you listened to our gospel reading this morning - it is asking us to do the same thing. To forgive those who hurt us, to pray for those who abuse us, to bless those who curse us. To turn the other cheek, to give without expecting return, to not take back something stolen from you. Hard, hard lessons and yet, where it is leading us today?
During Diocesan Council this weekend, we began each day with an Indaba Bible Study. Generally, we gathered in small groups and the passage of scripture was read out loud. Each person then went around and shared what one word or phrase stood out to them. Then the passage was read again with each person sharing where does this touch my life today. The third reading asks, “What is God calling you to change or do through this passage?”
Now consider our gospel reading today in that light. ‘Do unto others as you would have the do unto you.’ ‘Do not judge.’ ‘Forgive.’ ‘Love your enemies.’ ‘Lend without expecting return.’ ‘Be merciful, as your Father is merciful.’ ‘Turn the other cheek.’ These make great sound bites, but they are very countercultural to the world at large. These are hard sayings in our world today. The wolves in our world today would eat you alive if you followed these rules to the letter. So what do we take from this lesson - these hard sayings of Jesus?
Do to others as you would have them do to you. Often called or considered to be “The golden rule.” Do you know that every faith tradition has something similar to this golden rule? The main difference between our version and others is that the others are passive while the Christian rule is active. Essentially the other rules say “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.” So, for example, if you don’t want them to hit you, then you shouldn’t hit them. The Christian rule though is active - or pro-active - It says, “Do unto others, what you would have the do unto you.” If you want someone to treat you with respect, then you need to treat them with respect. We all come from different backgrounds and are raised to value different things. How do we use this demand of Jesus to look at the world around us in a different way. Sometimes we can’t personally address wrongs we perceive happening in the world at large, but we can pay attention to that part of the world that touches our life.
You look at your neighbor and say to yourself, “If I were in that position, I would hope that someone would do ______ for me.” And try to find a way to do it. You know we have so many people begging on the street in this day and age, there is no way any of us could satisfy all of them. And we know that some people are sponges and will drain you dry if you let them. We also know that there are some people who really do not have the capacity to change - those who live on the street with mental health problems that are not addressed by our current governance and health care systems. So how do you know when and how to help people? There are many agencies, some governmental, but more funded by churches and other non-profit organizations that can minister to those people better than individuals can. That way support of places like The Beacon and Lord of the Streets is so important - because they are equipped to minister to and help people who are living on the fringes of society.
When I was at Church of the Redeemer over in the Eastwood area, I had the opportunity to minister to a number of homeless people. A few were living on $600 a month disability and believe me, it is a challenge to pay rent, and utilities and still have enough left over to buy food.
They had no cars, but a few had bicycles. We developed a bicycle ministry at Redeemer and through the gifts of abandoned bikes from Rice and the University of Houston, we managed to have enough to give to kids in the neighborhood and to many of the homeless. We had a repair ministry and taught them how to take care of their bikes and fix them.
I used to go down to Jack in the Box and get two tacos. I’d eat one and take the other to someone standing down on the street corner begging. The Red barrel collection in our neighborhood Kroger’s came to us and I had food to give to the neighbors. I almost never had money, but bus tokens and Kroger & CVS gift cards along with the red barrel bags fed people and got their medicines. We were the mail box for a number who were trying to get jobs. Being at Redeemer taught me a lot about street people. More than once I took them to the hospital, or to get their medications. I knew, not only their street name, but their legal name. I knew which ones were bi-polar and which ones were schizophrenic. A good number of them were in church every Sunday - especially if we were having food.
I still keep my eyes open to the possibility that God will place someone before me and expect me to do something. But you know, this list of things that Jesus expects us to do - none of us will ever be able to live up to that expectation. Sometimes forgiveness is hard. And it’s hard not to want to get back at someone who hurts you. And Jesus doesn’t really expect us to be a doormat. So we have to find that balance between where our base nature tells us we want to be, and where Jesus encourages us to rise above ourselves. We have to learn to temper our inclinations with God’s expectation. And we need to remember at all times, even when we fall short of God’s expectation, his forgiveness is perfect, even if our isn’t. One of the things that I try to remember is that God wants me to be the very best version of myself possible. I don’t have to live up to someone else’s expectation. I just have to strive to be the best I can be. Sometimes it’s a struggle to go against nature - to not lash out when we have been hurt. With current mantras raging like “Don’t get mad, get even,” it is sometimes very hard to hear the voice of God calling for grace and mercy. But God’s love and mercy is never failing. His grace abounds wherever we let it and even when we fall short of his expectation, his forgiveness covers us.
