Community Church Sermons
August 19, 2007
Pentecost
12
Luke 12:49-56
Rev. Dr. R. Tim Meadows
Listen to
this Sermon!
Through the years it has been my privilege at a number of different conferences to hear from Will Willimon. Willimon currently serves as the Methodist bishop of North Alabama, and for a number of years prior to this appointment, he was minister to students and dean of the chapel at Duke University. Willimon delights in being a provocative fellow, who will say things no one else will say, think things no one else would dare to think, and wonder aloud about some of the things we think are so important and settled in our faith. You can perhaps see why he is my kind of guy. I have at times been accused of being and doing some of these things myownself.
Of all the things I’ve heard Willimon say, one phrase has gripped me more, stayed with me longer, and gradually changed my thinking about God most significantly. It is a simple phrase to which I turned immediately after reading today’s New Testament lesson. Willimon said, “ We must never forget that we serve a peculiar God, who calls us to be a peculiar people.” You can see how that statement fits today’s New Testament lesson. How much more peculiar could the Word of God be, than this? Some think maybe Jesus was just having a bad day and was a bit perturbed with people. Some think on this occasion, Jesus might have benefited from a good antidepressant medication. Some just want to forget the passage, since it is so out of character with Jesus’ other teachings. I think this is a place where we follow Willimon and his thinking on God’s peculiarity.
Exactly what the bishop meant by this statement is not completely known. However, in part, he was chiding us for our practice of domesticating God, making God in our image, enveloping God in our culture, so that we can assume that everything we want to do in our world is okay with God. According to Luke, this kind of activity is precisely what prompted the tirade from Jesus that you heard read. Jesus was not arbitrarily lashing out at the crowds around him, rather he was trying to point them to the things that really matter in life. The things that have significance in any age. Our affirmation of these things will mark us as a peculiar people called by a peculiar God. What are these things? Let me suggest a few for your consideration:
Our View Of God: How big is your God? Does your God care for all of creation or just part? Can your God embrace those who are vastly different from you? If your God is big enough to understand and embrace all of creation, then you are on your way to peculiarity!
How Do You Treat Other People: Is the golden rule your measure for those you like and agree with, or is it your measure period? Do other people matter in your equations for living life, or do they seem like obstacles to overcome? Can you see everyone as a creature of God created in God’s image, or do you reserve that designation for a limited category? Do you believe that everyone has a right to freedom, dignity, and equal opportunity? If people matter to you more than anything else in the world, then you are on your way to peculiarity!
How Do You View And Employ Your Resources: Do you hold tightly to that which is yours, afraid you may lose it any day? Do you resent having to invest in things from which others benefit? Do you look for opportunities to invest in others? Do you hold loosely and humbly to that which you have received as a result of your work, other’s work, and the goodness of God? If you see your resources as tools to be employed to better the world, then you are on your way to peculiarity!
What Is Your Hope for The Future: Do you believe that God cares about the present world? Do you believe that God can make a difference in the present world? Do you believe that God wants to make a difference in the present world? If you believe that God cares as much about the here and now of the present, as God cares about the by and by of eternity, then you are on your way to peculiarity!
We serve a peculiar God, who calls us to be a peculiar people. When you understand that, you understand why Jesus often evoked many of the negative reactions talked about in today’s New Testament reading.
Peace may be disrupted if we pursue God’s peculiar agenda. Families may be divided if we pursue God’s peculiar agenda. Nations may miss opportunities if we, their people, are more focused on predicting the weather, than following the teachings of God’s peculiar agenda.
A peculiar God calls us to be a peculiar people. May we have the strength and grace to become what we have been called to be! Amen.