7 Epiphany/Year C Sermon/February 23, 2025
Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50; Luke 6:27-38
Opening Prayer: Holy God, open up our eyes, and ears, and hearts, and minds to awaken us anew to what the Spirit is teaching us today. Amen.
Sometimes Jesus’ teachings sound poetic and lovely, and we have no trouble connecting with the message he is trying to get across to His listeners. But other times, his teachings are quite simple and direct…but not so lovely sounding…and they really don’t leave much wiggle room for interpretation. But, we as human beings, have some pretty strong minds and wills…so we are quite adept at filtering out what we think He is saying, and finding creative ways, to dismiss some of his more difficult teachings, as only pertaining to certain people, in certain times, and in certain places.
Our brain’s default is often to “hear” and “see” what we already know…and feel comfortable with…And it can also be a natural 1st response for us, to turn away from those things that are just too difficult to look at or grasp because of the enormity of what we see and hear, and feel helpless to change any of it. So, I do think our challenge…in learning new things, considering and accepting new and old difficult teachings…does call for us to begin and end each day with prayer to God, daily, and often, to open wide our eyes and our ears…and especially our hearts and our minds…to consider these uncomfortable teachings...these basic and direct, and difficult teachings that Jesus is longing for us to understand, and then take steps to respond with our words and actions wherever we might be.
IN today’s 1st reading from Genesis, we may shake our heads in disbelief, wondering, how in the world could Joseph ever return to his family, to his brothers who did the unthinkable, first plotting to kill him, but then decided instead to sell him into slavery… and the brothers also caused years of deep heartache and suffering for their father, lying to him and telling him that his son Joseph was likely killed by a wild animal. And how unthinkable, or impossible, that Joseph not only returned to his family, his brothers…but he forgave them…he chose to love them again…having been sent by God to return to them to save them from starvation and poverty…
Imagine having to forgive and love and bless the very people who abandoned you and cut you off from your livelihood?
Difficult, very difficult to imagine…yet in Joseph’s story today…we saw how that was possible, through God’s love inspiring him to reach out as he did…Joseph had mercy upon his brothers, forgave them, making room for love, the unconditional love of God, to reconcile and heal their family relationships.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in today’s gospel is equally hard to digest. As if the Blessings and the Woes that Jesus spoke about last week were not confusing enough. Today, Jesus continues with his Sermon on the Plain when he was speaking to the crowds gathered…the apostles, his disciples, and many others who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases
This time, he is tackling the very uncomfortable topic about loving your enemies, and forgiveness…
Let’s take a look at Jesus’ words in the gospel again…this time…I’m going to pause briefly in between each verse, inviting you to open wide your eyes, ears, hearts and minds, to hear anew what the Spirit is saying to you today, as you struggle to grasp the difficulty of these teachings in this time and place in a world that is experiencing so much division, hatred, and suffering…
Luke (6:27-38)
Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
Silence…
If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.
Silence…
Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.
Silence…
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Silence…
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
Silence…
If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Silence…
If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
Silence…
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.
Silence…
Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Silence…
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Silence…
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Silence…
Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.
Silence…
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."
Silence…
These are some pretty direct words from Jesus today. Difficult to digest. Hard to make sense of.
Difficult, hard, uncomfortable…yes…but not impossible, with God’s help… Difficult, hard, uncomfortable…yes…but they need not keep us from striving to understand the live-giving ways of God, made known to us, through the love and witness of Jesus Christ. For this love is a gift given to us...so that in receiving and trusting in its power to heal and transform the most difficult moments in all of our lives, we can hold on to HOPE, knowing that together, with God, and one another…the day will come, when God’s kingdom of love will come here on earth, as in heaven. The day will come, where every human being knows that justice and peace and love and mercy and compassion and freedom and respect for one another, is for everyone.
The psalmist tells us today: put your trust in the Lord, take delight in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord, be still before the Lord…and wait patiently for him…If nothing makes sense today…don’t give up…
Begin again tomorrow morning, every morning… put your trust in the Lord, take delight in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord, be still before the Lord…and wait patiently for him…for God’s mercies are new every morning… begin again with asking God to open your eyes, ears, hearts and minds to reveal what the Spirit is trying to teach you…about the saving and healing power of God’s love…
And perhaps, a good place to start, tomorrow morning…is to read today’s gospel once again…Read it slowly, line by line…write down some things that come to mind after each verse…let God’s Word awaken you anew, not only today, tomorrow, but throughout the week,…allow it to inspire in you, and reveal to you…a path through it, and a glimmer of hope that will help you take a step forward….in seeking and striving to walk the Way of Love…that Jesus is teaching us…
That’s just one spiritual practice that you could use in the morning as you continue to wrestle with these difficult passages, and what they are saying to you today.
The practice of the Daily Examen can be a helpful spiritual practice to use at the end of the day. It can be especially helpful, I think…to help us be honest with ourselves when it comes to the uncomfortable and difficult teachings of Jesus today, about loving our enemies, and forgiving others…
Here it is in a nutshell: Look back over your day…and…
Ask God for light. Give thanks. Review the day. Face your shortcomings. Look toward the day to come.
I commend these 2 practices to you this week, because there are no short-cuts to working through these difficult teachings in the midst of these unimaginable days. Your priest can not do the difficult wrestling of the scriptures for you. But, as we gather here in community, it can help to know, that you are not alone. Most of us here, are struggling, and wrestling with all of it too…the difficult teachings, and the unimaginable division, hatred, and suffering that is taking place in our world today. Difficult, hard, uncomfortable…yes…but we will get through all of this, together, with God’s help.
So, I hope you’ll give it a try…begin and end your day in prayer: Asking God to open up your eyes, and ears, and hearts and minds to be awakened anew to what the Spirit is saying to you, each and every day. Ask God for light. Give thanks. Review the day. Face your shortcomings. Look toward the day to come.
Closing Prayer/Hymn: Open our eyes lord – (Renew Hymnal #91) Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love him. Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen, open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus. Amen.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK