This week's sermon

Matthew is Jewish 2/12/23

          Matthew is the most Jewish of the gospels.

          You might remember, if you were here, last week Jesus said “I have come to fulfill the law”.

          Law is what makes someone a Jew.

          There are hundreds of laws—ways to be in the world—that Jews must obey.

          In the other gospels—especially Luke and John—Jesus breaks the law by healing on the sabbath and eating what is not kosher and moving among gentiles.

          But Matthew stays with the law.

          The commandments.

          The passage we heard from Deuteronomy; we are told to ‘obey the commandments.’

          The Psalm says “we shall keep the” commandments.

          Even our collect said “that in keeping your commandments we may please you.”

          In the other gospels (especially Luke and John) Jesus is always ‘breaking the commandments.’

          He heals on the sabbath.

          His disciples don’t ‘keep’ the sabbath.

          There are numerous ways in which Jesus ignores the Law.

          But not in Matthew.

          In Matthew, he even expands ‘the law’.

          “You shall not murder” becomes “you shall not be angry with a brother of sister” and “You shall not insult a brother or sister.”

          “You shall not commit adultery” becomes “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust” has committed adultery.

          Then he starts telling us to tear out our eye or cut off our hand if they cause us to sin.

          You can’t divorce he tells us today, except of the grounds of unchastity, and if you marry a divorced woman you are committing adultery.

          Then, an even tougher interpretation, “no swearing”.

          I can’t speak for you, but I swear a lot!

          Typing this sermon and making mistakes with my fingers caused a few swear words, I assure you.

          So, what do we do with Matthew’s Jesus?

          I’m a lot more in step with Luke’s Jesus—the most compassionate of the four Jesus’ we find in the gospels.

          The Episcopal Church—and me as one of it’s priests—accept the concept of divorce and re-marriage.

          There are people here in good standing in the church, who have been married more than once.

          I know I get angry with people from time to time.

          And I bet you do too.

          And we’ve all sworn to things that we didn’t believe.

          And said bad words.

          Let Matthew’s Jesus be. Just don’t be controlled by him.

          Turn to John and Mark and especially Luke’s Jesus.

          Find compassion for sinners.

          Help the poor—put socks on their feet and food on their table—as you do so well.

          Don’t let the “law” get you down.

          We are made ‘free’ of the Law by Jesus and by God.

          Ponder for a moment, how ‘free of the law’ we are.

 

Amen and amen.

         

 

It's warmer (thank goodness!) and I'm tired

I usually sleep until almost 9 a.m.

But on Sunday, when I'm celebrating and preaching, I'm up at 7:20.

So, it's 7:15 p.m. and I'm tired.

But it's much warmer than Friday and Saturday.

So. being warm makes being tired not so bad.

I hope you're warm and feeling good.

Next week at Trinity, Milford is 'sock Sunday'.

The folks in that church do lots of things for the hungry and homeless.

Next Sunday everyone brings socks since they are needed a lot at the homeless shelter.

The folks up in Milton bring tons of clothes and food to be given away.

I admire them greatly for that.

Always remember those who are not warm and hungry.

Always.

Always.

 

Sorry

I posted my sermon twice.

I apologize.

It is very cold tonight.

Minus 6 when I was out at 7 p.m.

The coldest day of the year.

I hate the cold.

I'm a warm (or hot) weather guy.

It will get warmer after tomorrow and the wind will die down.

Tonight the wind chill is -20 or more.

Alas and alack.

But we're moving on.

If we survive the next two days we'll be fine.

Sorry about the double post.

Shalom.

 

This week's sermon

 

          You are the salt of the earth, Jesus told his followers and he tells us as well.

          You are the light of the world, he also told his followers and tells us as well.

          We are salt and light.

          You and me.

          Salt and light.

          I talked with my first cousin, Mejol, last week about salt and light.

          Mejol was my companion all during my childhood. She went on vacation with my parents and me until I was quite old.

          Her email says Mejol6 and I asked her why. She said she couldn’t be the only person with that name.

          I asked a friend of mine who is a geneolgist and he told me she was the only person named Mejol in the country!

          Here are some of the things we came up with for SALT.

          Salt flavors things.

          Don’t tell my doctor, but I put salt on almost everything.

          I put salt on watermelon and cantaloupe and lots of things I shouldn’t—even raw apples!

          Besides flavoring things, salt preserves things—like salted meat and fish.

          Salt water will cure fever blisters and insect stings.

          You always find your skin in better shape after being at and ocean beach and going into the ocean water for a few days.

          Salt is amazing.

          Light drives away darkness and let’s us see.

          It is also used in signals.

          And how valuable to sailor’s are light houses.

          Light and salt are valuable to us in many ways.

          And we are SALT and LIGHT, Jesus tells us.

          We must flavor and preserve and cure.

          And we must let us see in the darkness and warn us of danger and guide others as they come.

          But we must also be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees.

          That means we must ascribe to religious and moral laws.

          Jesus does not abolish the law—he retains it and it must guide us to “righteousness”.

          So, we have a lot to do.

          How do we do it?

          That is the question.

          We begin by doing all salt does and all light does.

          And we must do that while being ‘righteous’.

          Not an easy task.

          But we begin today, as always, by taking Jesus’ body and blood into our beings.

          Then we must go out into the world and do the work Jesus would have us do.

          Feed the hungry.

          Clothe the naked.

          Offer comfort to those who suffer.

          Heal the wounds of the wounded.

          Preserve what is needed to do good.

          Guide those who are lost to come home.

          Offer hospitality to those who feel outcast.

          Bring light to the darkness of this ‘oh, so dark’ world.

          A lot to do.

          More than we may believe we can do.

          But we are salt and we are light.

          Ponder that for a while in silence.

          How can we be salt.

          How can we be light.

          Ponder, my friends, ponder how we can be the people Jesus calls us to be.

          (silence for two minutes)

          You are salt.

          You are light.

          Let us be who Jesus calls us to be.

          Amen and amen.

 

This sunday's sermon

 

You are the salt of the earth, Jesus told his followers and he tells us as well.

          You are the light of the world, he also told his followers and tells us as well.

          We are salt and light.

          You and me.

          Salt and light.

          I talked with my first cousin, Mejol, last week about salt and light.

          Mejol was my companion all during my childhood. She went on vacation with my parents and me until I was quite old.

          Her email says Mejol6 and I asked her why. She said she couldn’t be the only person with that name.

          I asked a friend of mine who is a geneolgist and he told me she was the only person named Mejol in the country!

          Here are some of the things we came up with for SALT.

          Salt flavors things.

          Don’t tell my doctor, but I put salt on almost everything.

          I put salt on watermelon and cantaloupe and lots of things I shouldn’t—even raw apples!

          Besides flavoring things, salt preserves things—like salted meat and fish.

          Salt water will cure fever blisters and insect stings.

          You always find your skin in better shape after being at and ocean beach and going into the ocean water for a few days.

          Salt is amazing.

          Light drives away darkness and let’s us see.

          It is also used in signals.

          And how valuable to sailor’s are light houses.

          Light and salt are valuable to us in many ways.

          And we are SALT and LIGHT, Jesus tells us.

          We must flavor and preserve and cure.

          And we must let us see in the darkness and warn us of danger and guide others as they come.

          But we must also be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees.

          That means we must ascribe to religious and moral laws.

          Jesus does not abolish the law—he retains it and it must guide us to “righteousness”.

          So, we have a lot to do.

          How do we do it?

          That is the question.

          We begin by doing all salt does and all light does.

          And we must do that while being ‘righteous’.

          Not an easy task.

          But we begin today, as always, by taking Jesus’ body and blood into our beings.

          Then we must go out into the world and do the work Jesus would have us do.

          Feed the hungry.

          Clothe the naked.

          Offer comfort to those who suffer.

          Heal the wounds of the wounded.

          Preserve what is needed to do good.

          Guide those who are lost to come home.

          Offer hospitality to those who feel outcast.

          Bring light to the darkness of this ‘oh, so dark’ world.

          A lot to do.

          More than we may believe we can do.

          But we are salt and we are light.

          Ponder that for a while in silence.

          How can we be salt.

          How can we be light.

          Ponder, my friends, ponder how we can be the people Jesus calls us to be.

          (silence for two minutes)

          You are salt.

          You are light.

          Let us be who Jesus calls us to be.

          Amen and amen.