God of Life

6th Sunday after Epiphany

Today's readings: Deut. 30:15-20; 1 Cor. 3:1-9; Matt. 5:21-37

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son & the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This morning Jesus continues to preach from the Mount, continuing where he began in chapter 5 with

the beatitudes. So far we have heard ‘Blessed are the poor, those who mourn, the meek, hungry, thirsty, merciful, pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake.’ (v. 1-12) Then last week we heard Jesus proclaim that YOU are the salt of the earth and the light of the world! A city on a hill for all to see. Jesus reminds us who we are and what we are to do in this world. Jesus calls Israel, calls US, to be who we were created by God to be. (v. 13-16)

Today Jesus continues that sermon, stressing the laws given at the time of Moses, but instead of stopping there, contradicting them, or throwing them out completely, he expands on them. Jesus’ sermon today continues by calling out our broken relationships. The themes he expands on today are murder, adultery, divorce, and taking oaths. (v. 21-37) All of these things cause division amongst God’s family. Jesus says, you have already heard that these things are bad… but I tell you, not just the action is bad, but the intentions/the motivations behind them that lead up to the action are also bad. Have you ever done something wrong that you truly didn’t mean to do, it just came out the wrong way, but your intentions were good? That’s the root of what Jesus is expressing here; ‘What are your intentions?’

There’s a lot of topics presented here, so I’ll choose just one to focus on, one that struck me particularly close to the heart and I think it might have for many of you as well.. divorce. Verse 32: “I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” This summer just before I started here at seeds, my divorce was finalized from the man I met in 2011 and married in 2016. Clearly in the ELCA divorce is not grounds to be removed from rostered leadership, but that has not always been the case. In fact, for many denominations, it still is the case. I get that. The Bible says clearly in more than one place that divorce is bad. But in today’s world 50% of marriages end in divorce. If you haven’t been divorced, you most likely know someone who has been.. or at least, now you do (Hi). So what do we do with this?..

Well, as ELCA Lutherans, we begin with context. Back in the time Jesus was preaching, divorce was particularly bad because of how women were viewed and treated in society. If a man were to divorce his wife he would basically be leaving her for dead. She left her family to yoke herself to his, therefore she would have nowhere to go. And she would be seen as ‘defiled’ or ‘impure’ and therefore would not be available for another man to marry her. This is what Jesus is talking about, the ways in which divorce could lead to so much more brokenness than just between the two partners.

And why would Jesus, a man who never married or had a family care about marriage and divorce? Because God cares about our lives, our dignity, our worth and how we are treated. You know what the Bible talks about much more than divorce? Caring for widows, orphans, foreigners, and all who are oppressed or particularly vulnerable. Yes a widow is different than a divorcee, but in that time they faced the same fate and societal challenges. They were particularly vulnerable to homelessness, hunger, and violence – especially violence against their bodies. Jesus says if you can help it, do not put another human being in such danger.

When we read these verses, when the law convicts us (as it always will in one way or another), we must hold it hand-in-hand with the Gospel. Law and Gospel, that is the Lutheran way. None of us are free of anger, lust, jealousy, or coveting. We are all guilty, whether of divorce, breaking oaths, telling lies, or something else. We are all guilty. BUT, we are also all forgiven by a God who lived and died that we might have life and have life abundantly! This is the foundation from which we must live and make our decisions. The foundation of trust in God.. of life. This is why I think our gospel reading this morning was paired with the Old Testament passage in Deuteronomy, for Deuteronomy’s message this morning is that in God alone there is life.

Every choice we make is a choice between life or death. Choose God, for God is life – real, true life! Our second reading from 1 Corinthians also emphasizes this message of life. Paul says that when we choose life we finally receive solid food! When we choose God, choose life, we work together for the common good, leaving behind things of death like competition, jealously, anger, lying, greed, etc.

What does God want for all of creation? Harmony. Supportive, mutual relationships. Life in abundance! Jesus’ sermon calls us out on the ways in which we break down relationships rather than build them up. What is the core, overall message? I truly believe Jesus says all these things to get to the root of the problem, to empower us to choose life and harmony over death and division. When I got divorced it was not an easy decision to make. We wanted to honor the oath we had taken ‘till death do us part,’ but there was more death in our relationship than there was life. We knew that in order for each of us to live our lives to the fullest, to have life and have it abundantly, that meant letting each other go. That didn’t make it any less painful. Our relationship was still broken. But I truly believe that God would rather have us gain life by separating than let ourselves die together. And I truly believe the same is true for you.

God longs to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32), Jesus came so that you might have life and have life abundantly (John 10:10). What gives you life and gives life to your neighbor? We must choose life, for ourselves AND for those around us. This is the foundation from which we live and make decisions. The foundation of trust in God.. of life. We are all guilty of broken relationships, of choosing death over life.. But may you trust that, above all else, your Creator sees you, forgives you, and wants to give you LIFE.

You are blessed.

You are salt of the earth, light of the world!

A people living in the way of the God of Life.

As you move through this world, may you do so mindful of the ways in which we break relationships with God, self, and neighbor and may you by the power of the Holy Spirit choose the most life-giving option in front of you. This is what God asks of you, to honor the life you have been given and also to honor the lives around you, for they are God-given all the same.

Blessed children of God, in the cross of Christ you are forgiven and free to choose life.

Amen.