Sermon for Fourth Epiphany 2007

Preached at St. John's Lutheran Church, Davis, WV on January 28, 2007

Scripture texts: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Luke 4:21-30

Author's Note: This is something of a moment of whimsy, I'll admit. But when I heard the news of the passing of David Bowie, I was reminded of the time I used Bowie's duet with Queen "Under Pressure" as a sermon illustration. So I decided to dig this old sermon out and post it.

It is not entirely ironic that these same texts are coming up again on January 31 of this year and while it is tempting to recycle this sermon in light of Bowie's passing, I will probably do something different (and likely still use this song.)

RIP to the master.

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If you’re like me, you enjoy music. You listen to the radio, you have a CD player (or one of its predecessors) in your home. Now most music you hear on any of those devices, whether it be rock-n-roll, country, rap, or something else, is about one thing: love. Nearly every song is a love song.

Now these song writers all define love very differently. Sometimes they sing about love of family or love of our country, but most, of course, write about romantic love between two people. Even still, they are not all agreed on what exactly love is. For some, it is passionate, fiery, and often short-lived, for others it is something that lasts forever, unending, unchanging. Others say it is something in between, and still others say it is all of the above. I would be inclined to that last answer myself. Love is such a complicated thing, part emotion, part state-of-mind, part something else, that it has baffled all of us for countless ages.

As if entering into that very fray, we have St. Paul and the famous 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians. Here is yet another answer to the question “What is love?” Now while this passage is often quoted at weddings, I suspect Paul has a broader intent behind why he writes these words than to provide flowery language for one’s wedding day.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

When you really start to take this passage apart, when you really start to delve into what Paul is telling us about love, you quickly come to realize that this is a hugely challenging passage. This is not a sentimental text, despite its popular usage. This is a passage with real power and deep meaning.

You see, Paul’s intent is to inform that this is God’s love and it is the love God expects of his people.

That seems simple on the surface. But again, as you dig a little deeper, you quickly realize that this is a tall order. Love that is patient, kind, not envious, not arrogant, rejoicing in the right, bearing all things, enduring all things. This love is dangerous. This love will get you in trouble.

Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at our Gospel text for this Sunday. We’re picking up right where we left off from last week. Remember last Sunday was the story of Jesus’ homecoming to Nazareth, and how he gets up in the synagogue and reads from Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then Jesus sits down again and tells everyone, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” And everyone praises and applauds the home town boy and reminisces about him.

But Jesus doesn’t simply leave it at that. You see, that passage in Isaiah is about love. It’s about love for the poor, the stranger, the captive, those who are outcast and outsiders. And when the people are too busy fawning over the boy he used to be to hear what he is trying to say, he makes it absolutely clear. Remember Naaman, general of Syria? Remember the widow of Zaraphath? Outsiders that you hate, yet God loved them and showed them mercy. Don’t ask for miracles and for healing. Go instead and be that healing for others. Go and love.

That is what Jesus says to the people of Nazareth. He asks them to love those they consider unlovable. He asks them to stop “insisting upon their own way,” and to instead be “kind” and work for righteousness.

Now, like I said, this love is dangerous, because this is love without bounds. This is love that does not discriminate. But people do have bounds and people do discriminate and when the people of Nazareth hear, and really hear, what Jesus is saying, they become angry, furious even. So angry and so furious that they threaten to throw Jesus off a cliff. They make to kill him because he asked them to love those that they hated.

And so it will be with us, if we dare to love as Jesus loves. If we dare to look beyond human prejudices and hatred and see others as God does. Not as enemies, not as threats, not as inferior, but as brothers and sisters, as fellow human beings like us, with the same hopes and desires and dreams. If we dare to do as Jesus asks that congregation in Nazareth, dare to love the unlovable, then others will hate us for it.

But do not be discouraged when this is so. Do not falter when these things take place. Remember the waters of baptism and what they mean, that no matter what venom is spewed at you, no matter what slander and hatred you endure, that God has chosen you to be his own, that he will always love you, and he will never abandon you. It’s a love that sent Jesus to this world to live for you, and it’s a love that went to a cross to die for you, and it is also a love that rose again for you. You are important to God. You are precious to God. He will never forsake you. Let others rage. You are a child of God and nothing they say or do can change that.

It’s funny sometimes how you can find Gospel in the unlikeliest of places and how you can also hear a song a thousand times and never hear its message. Back in the 80s, the rock band Queen had a song called “Under Pressure.” It’s lyrics conclude with the following

Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care
For the people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way
Of caring about ourselves

You are a child of God. You are loved. Love as you have been loved. Amen.