Paul tells us, "Do not deceive yourselves. If you think you are wise in this age... For the wisdom on this world is foolishness with God." I've heard it said - if you want God to laugh, just tell Him your plans. He already knows what his plans are for us - so instead of telling him your plans, ask him to show you his plans. One of the plans he has for us is that we are his witnesses in the world.
Paul has told us that he has laid a foundation - that foundation is Jesus Christ - and each of us is free to build on that foundation. But whatever we build has to be based in Jesus Christ and the love that God has shown to us through Jesus.
In our first lesson, we hear commentary on the laws - the commandments - and it ends over and over with the phrase: "I am the Lord your God." In this, God is trying to tell the people what he is like - what he wants them to be like - because he does want them to be like him. This is as true today, as it was in that desert almost 6 thousand years ago. God wants us to be like him.
Now there's a problem with that - God is spirit - and although we are spiritual creatures - we can't see God and we can't really know him. But he does spend this passage trying to help us understand what he is like. "You shall be holy... Do not reap to the edges of your fields - leave some for the needy... Do not steal, or lie, or defraud your neighbor, or render an unjust judgment. Do not slander or put a stumbling block before the blind. Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." He is saying, "Be like me - this is what I am like."
The Hebrew word is "Kedoshim" - "Be holy, for I, the Lord, am holy." - We are created in the image of God, therefore we are created to be holy. But mostly as a human race, we fall miserably short of God's expectation. Because as a human race we didn't really get it - God finally sent Jesus Christ - his own son - to be for us an example and a witness - to God's love, to his nature and to what he wants us to be like.
Jesus was someone people could touch, see, hear. And he took the nature of God as stated in the Old Testament, and expanded on it. "You've heard it said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you do not resist, turn the other cheek, give to those who beg. You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbor.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
You know, that 'eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth' is mentioned two other places in the Bible, in both Exodus and Leviticus. There are a lot of people that just tie into that phrase from the Old Testament and make it their mantra. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Don't get mad, get even?" People use this for an excuse to exact revenge for a real or perceived wrong. I call it an Old Testament mentality. It's the same mentality that has kept the Israelites and Palestinians at each other for 4000 years. It is because they are still living into that eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth concept that they continue to fight, refusing to mediate or even strive for peace - it's just get the next strike in.
It sure is a far cry from what Jesus is trying to teach us here. It's even a far cry from what God originally intended with the phrase. In ancient times, if someone felt wronged, then they would go out and take revenge and kill someone or beat them senseless for a minor theft. Here God was limiting the revenge they could exact from another - only what fit the original crime or injury - no more.
Our first lessons starts with, "Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." and the very last sentence of our last lesson says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Our scripture readings today are bookended with an injunction to be like God - to be holy - to be perfect. And right in the middle, in the lessons from Paul, we here Paul say, "God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." Not an easy concept to live into. I guarantee it's easy to forget. One church I worked for had signs on the mirrors in every restroom that said, "You are the one whom Jesus loves." It reminded everyone that they are holy and made in the image of God.
It's scary to think that we are being called to be holy - to be perfect. Actually, the translation on that word can be complete - or whole - or true - or integrated. I don't know about you, but I'm nowhere near perfect. And sometimes it's really hard on Monday morning to live into the scriptures we read on Sunday - especially those like today. But holiness is something that God calls each of us to strive for in our daily life.
We are called to holiness, but is it really possible in our own self to be truly holy? Not really. It is only through God’s holiness that we can attain to such a lofty goal. Let me take out a minute here – call this a teaching moment – or a reminder for some of you – about one very small part of our service.
Every Sunday, just before the lessons, we read a different prayer called a collect. A collect is a prayer that has three parts. First it addresses God and makes a true statement concerning God. Then it makes a request based on the first statement. And finally it closes acknowledging who God is.
Our collect for today opens by reminding us that “without love whatever we do is worth nothing.”
We must always remember that God is love, and his love for us is perfect. Then the collect makes the request – “Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love.” It goes on to define what we mean by love, but this is enough. So in essence, our collect says – without love, whatever we do is worthless, so send us your perfect love… It is God’s love for us that can overcome our own selfish nature and make us complete.
When we understand that it is God’s love that makes us perfect, then we understand what Paul is saying when he says, “Let no one boast about human leaders.” It is God’s love working through us that accomplishes God’s purpose here on earth, so our part is now easy. It is to open up our hearts to receive God’s love in such a way that His love and purpose is made manifest in our lives here on earth. Amen.
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