Let mutual love continue

Scripture Lessons: Jeremiah 2: 4-13, Hebrews 13: 1-8, NT pages 227-228 Sermon Title: Let mutual love continue Preached on 8/28/16 I was reading what some of the scholars say about this 2nd Scripture Lesson from the book of Hebrews and as I was thumbing through a book I came across an old comic strip I stuck in between the pages some time ago. This one was an old Shoe comic. Shoe is the one with the birds: one’s the journalist, the other is his publisher, and the journalist is reading the paper and he looks up to ask, “Do you think artificial intelligence will become common in technology?” The one who is the publisher responded: “I’d prefer human intelligence becoming common in politics.” It may be that Christians, like politicians, forget common sense, forget human intelligence, forget what it is that they are supposed to be doing, so the author of Hebrews reminds us in this last chapter of the book. Here in chapter 13 the author summarizes what he’s been trying to say all along. In the plainest language possible we read exactly what it is that we are supposed to be doing and foremost among the author’s admonition is: “Let mutual love continue.” This section of the book of Hebrews is not unlike what happens at the end of our Cece’s taekwondo lesson. Our youngest daughter Cece started taekwondo this year at the place on Trotwood across the street from Columbia Academy. She loves it, but there’s so many kids in there without their shoes on that the smell of feet has taken me a little while to get used to. But to the point – every lesson ends the same way. The Senior Student, the one who has achieved the most advanced rank in the group, leads the class in reciting the six tenants of taekwondo, the six attributes that every student of taekwondo should embody in their daily life: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, indomitable spirit, and victory. So what happens is that at the end of the class all the kids line up, and my little Cece is in the back standing there in her resting stance, and the senior student faces the rest of the class and yells out: “courtesy” – and all the kids repeat, “courtesy.” Then “integrity” she says, and all the other kids say, “integrity.” Then “perseverance” – “perseverance.” “Self-control” – “self-control” “Indomitable spirit” – and the little ones in the back say “indom -mmm - ble spirit.” It’s great. It’s all just great – because what could be better than closing the lesson with the core, the essence, the epitome of what every taekwondo student should be and should be doing? The Cub Scouts do the same: “I promise, to do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country, to help other people, and to obey the law of the pack.” I haven’t been in Cub Scouts in 25 years, but I still remember that. The Boy Scouts of course end their meetings with the Scout Oath and Law, every day at McDowell Elementary School begins with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the McDowell School Pledge. Each of the Columbia Dance Academy recitals begins with the Dancer’s Prayer framing the whole big recital by what it is that Miss Millie’s dancers believe about dance, why they dance and for whom – and we do this – we recite the six tenants of taekwondo, the cub scout promise and the boy scout oath, the pledge of allegiance, the dancer’s prayer – all of these summarize – they clarify – it’s by these kinds of statements that we hope to make our expectations clear – so that we don’t stray. And that’s important, because every group strays. Every group forgets. You’ve heard it said, “I’m on the board at such and such and we meet just to meet.” No one wants to meet just to meet. Cece signs up for taekwondo and the first thing I want to know is when she’s going to karate chop a board in half – but that’s not why they’re there – it’s about integrity, perseverance, self-control, and the indom – mmm - ble spirit.” In the same way, Boy Scouts isn’t about merit badges and getting into a good college once you have your eagle. It’s not supposed to be anyway. And how do you keep a group rooted in its true purpose? You make the true purpose plain and clear again and again – “A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” That’s Scouts. But what about Christians? You go out into the world and ask around a little bit and you may hear the opposite of what we intend. You may hear that “A Christian is judgmental, closed minded, self-righteous, fearful, so heavenly minded that he’s no earthly good.” Like every group in human history we need to keep coming back to the real purpose, the true essence, of who we are and what we should be doing. Or, to put it in the language of our 1st Scripture Lesson from the book of Jeremiah, we go to broken cisterns that cannot hold water again and again, and must be led back to the fountain of living water again and again. We need this passage in the book of Hebrews to stay rooted in what we should be doing. How we should be living. We must stay rooted in the qualities that we must embody, so the author of Hebrews writes: “Let mutual love continue.” “Let mutual love continue” – don’t let it stop. You’ve been loved by God, saved by his grace, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only son” so don’t you accept this love and fail to pass it to your neighbor. Don’t put a fence around it so that you love the members of your family who you like and the members of your church who you know – that’s not letting mutual love continue, that’s showing the world that Christian love is for some and not for others. And if you think it’s bad that some people think taekwondo is about breaking legs and that Boy Scouts is about getting a job once you have your Eagle than be disgusted that the Church has lived in such a way that our world is convinced that love is for some and not for others, that God’s love is for some and not for others, and nothing could be further from the truth. “Let mutual love continue, and do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Don’t you know that’s true? I believe it is because it happens all the time. Just yesterday we were at the Farmer’s Market in Riverside. My wife Sara and our oldest daughter Lily were shopping, Cece and I were waiting by the car in the parking lot, when a black jeep drives up right by us – taking up two parking spaces. That’s right – he parked on the line in the middle, taking up more room than any decent person would think of taking, “but that’s just some people” I think to myself. He gets out of his jeep, nearly trips stepping out of it. “Serves him right,” I think to myself, but he nods to me and I nod to him and wish him good morning whether he deserved it or not (I am a pastor after all). The man is dressed a little different – thick purple frames on his glasses. “I’ve been wanting a jeep my whole life” he says to me, “Finally I got one after my spouse died. That’s who the jeep is named after. I trip getting out of it but I love it.” Then I smile. This time genuinely, feeling a little guilty. As he walks towards the Farmer’s Market he sees me looking at my cell phone and asks, “Do you think there are any Pokémon around here?” He was refereeing to this cell phone game where you go around and catch cute little monsters, but I don’t know how to play it and kind of shrug. “It’s something how people go crazy over that game. But me, I’m just looking for Jesus,” he says. “I hope you find him,” I respond. Then he points to his heart, “I already have.” Angels are just wandering around this earth, some of them taking more than one parking space, and while I know that they still surprise me, which is a shame because to proclaim the Gospel with its message of God, who from way up in heaven, bent down to notice little old me, we must take the time to notice each human being we share this town with – because if we go around noticing some and not others, if we go around welcoming the rich and not the poor, entertaining the upstanding and not the sinner, we model the behavior of the Pharisees and not Jesus. So “let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (And) Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured” – even though it is so easy to forget every last one of them. They put jails and prisons where they do, way out from the road, near the landfill and under the cover of a hillside so that we won’t have to trouble themselves with the thought of them – but listen to what Hebrews says: “remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them” and “those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.” “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. (And) let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.” Some reflections of scholar and Episcopal Priest, Gray Temple helped me to understand this part better: “You come to resemble what you admire. People who admire money get green and crinkly. People who admire computers grow user-unfriendly. People who admire youth get juvenile.” And I would add that people who can’t stop looking will never know satisfaction. On the other hand, “People who actively and deliberately admire Jesus Christ come to resemble him” and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Isn’t that the point of this whole lesson in Hebrews? And maybe that’s the point of our entire religion – that Jesus’ life is to be mirrored in you and me. May it always be so. Amen.