“As you go, proclaim
the good news. ‘The Kingdom of Heaven
has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”
(10:7)
In a recent conversation, someone said to me, “I don’t know
why preachers talk about what’s going on in the world. They should just talk about Jesus!” In one form or another, I hear that
frequently. But, I don’t know how one
could talk about Jesus without talking about what is going on in the
world! If our faith has nothing to say
about life in the world, then what good is it?
Good preaching helps us think about what is going on in our world
theologically – both the little day to day stuff and the bigger issues and
concerns of the day. Over thirty years ago,
I heard Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler say that a good preacher always
preaches with the bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. I think Sittler was right. The question, I think, is not whether or not
we talk about how faith and life intersect – but how we talk about it.
Preaching on both the left and the right can (and sometimes does)
devolve into unhelpful partisan politics, vitriol, and diatribe. There is a fine line between prophetic speech
and simply politicking that is easily crossed.
Some subjects are better engaged in the dialogue of the forum than in
the monologue of the pulpit.
Jesus himself didn’t shy away from talking about what was
going on in the world, and he certainly didn’t teach his disciples to avoid the
realities of life in first century Galilee or Judea. Simply proclaiming the reign of God in world
ruled by an emperor who thought himself a god was political speech. Caring for lepers and casting out demons had
both religious and social implications (which in those days were completely
intertwined.) Jesus regularly challenged
Pharisees and Sadducees who were both religious and political leaders (again,
there was little distinction between the two roles in the first century). Jesus
was accused of both sedition (“he claims to be a king”) and heresy (“he claims
to be the Son of God”) and executed for it.
In the end, God’s love, grace, mercy and life proved to be
more powerful. More powerful than
Caesar. More powerful than social
systems that ostracize and alienate people.
More powerful than religious or political leaders. More powerful than
sickness and death; even death on a cross.
That is still true today. Because it is true, our faith still has
something to say about the world we live in.
In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus sends the twelve
disciples out to proclaim the Reign of Heaven and to bring healing to those who
are suffering. Jesus sends the disciples
out to engage the world with his Good News.
He sends us to do the same. We
don’t have to agree about exactly how we do that, and that’s OK. People of faith can come at things from
different perspectives, and that’s OK too.
That’s why we need to be in loving dialogue with one another (as an
example to a world that prefers to vilify those who disagree). But, the one thing we cannot do is ignore
the suffering of the world. Not if we
follow in the way of Jesus. We cannot
say we proclaim the Reign of God and then limit God’s rule to just our
personal, private lives. That would be a
weak god indeed! Instead, we are called
to be a force for healing, reconciliation, hope and justice in the way of
Jesus. We are sent to proclaim in word
and deed the reign of God’s powerful love and life in a world that often seems
bereft of both. And yes, sometimes, we
need to be reminded of that from the pulpit.
Peace,
Bishop Mike
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