How big is your house?

EPIPHANY 5 2014

I TOOK AN ECONOMICS COURSE IN COLLEGE, AND LEARNED TWO MAIN THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, “ECONOMICS” MEANS MEASURING THE HOUSE. ECO IS GREEK FOR HOUSE, AND NOMICS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH NUMBERS. THE SECOND IMPORTANT POINT I DISCOVERED IS THAT THE PURPOSE OF ECONOMICS IS TO ALLOCATE GUNS AND BUTTER. THIS MEANS DETERMINING HOW MUCH OF THE RESOURCES OF A COUNTRY, A STATE, A CITY, OR A FAMILY GOES TO BUTTER, FOOD, OR WELFARE OF THE CITIZENS, AND HOW MUCH GOES FOR SECURITY, POLICE, MILITARY OR FOOD INSPECTORS.

IN TODAY’S BIBLE PASSAGES, ISAIAH AND MATTHEW ALSO TALK ABOUT RESOURCE ALLOCATION, THOUGH NOT NECESSARILLY GUNS AND BUTTER. THE ALLOCATION THEY TALK ABOUT IS TIME, ENERGY, AND PASSION. THEY ARE SAYING THAT WE SHOULD SPEND OUR TIME, OUR ENERGY, AND OUR PASSION ON HEALING A BROKEN WORLD, NOT ON SELF AGRANDIZING.
TODAY WE HEARD FROM ISAIAH: “WHY DO WE FAST, BUT YOU DO NOT SEE? WHY HUMBLE OURSELVES, BUT YOU DO NOT NOTICE? LOOK, YOU SERVE YOUR OWN INTEREST ON YOUR FAST DAY, AND OPPRESS ALL YOUR WORKERS. LOOK, YOU FAST ONLY TO QUARREL AND TO FIGHT AND TO STRIKE WITH A WICKED FIST. SUCH FASTING AS YOU DO TODAY WILL NOT MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD ON HIGH.”

JESUS TOLD US THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT IS THIS: “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT, AND THE SECOND IS LIKE IT; YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW AND PROPHETS.”
THE GOSPEL IS NOT ABOUT EARNING POINTS TO GET INTO HEAVEN SOME DAY; THE GOSPEL IS ABOUT DOING WHAT WE CAN TO HEAL A HURTING WORLD RIGHT TODAY.

TODAY WE HEARD FROM MATTHEW: “YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH, BUT IF THE SALT HAS LOST ITS TASTE, HOW CAN ITS SALTINESS BE RESTORED?”, AND ALSO : “YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A CITY BUILT ON A HILL CANNOT BE HID. NO ONE AFTER LIGHTING A LAMP PUTS IT UNDER A BUSHEL BASKET, BUT ON THE LAMPSTAND, AND IT GIVES LIGHT FOR ALL IN THE HOUSE.”

THE VALUE OF SALT IS NOT IN AND OF ITSELF. THE VALUE OF SALT IS THAT IT IS ADDED TO OTHER FOOD TO PRESERVE IT OR TO IMPROVE ITS TASTE. THE VALUE OF A LAMP IS NOT SO THE LAMP CAN SEE OR BE SEEN, THE VALUE OF A LAMP IS SO THAT OTHERS MAY SEE. “WE (SHOULD) IMPACT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.” 1
WHEN OUR LECTIONARY STUDY GROUP LOOKED AT THIS PIECE OF ST. MATTHEW’S GOSPEL, ONE OF OUR GROUP QUOTED JAMES SLEDGE. JAMES SLEDGE IS SOMEONE WHO WROTE A COMMENT ABOUT THIS PASSAGE AND HE SAID: “CHRISTIAN FAITH IN AMERICA TENDS TO BE A PRIVATE AND PERSONAL THING. FAITH IS WHAT WE BELIEVE, AND THAT CAN BE SAFELY TUCKED AWAY IN OUR BRAIN SOMEWHERE.---YOU CAN BE A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN IF YOU GO TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY AND ABIDE BY SOCIETAL NORMS FOR MORALITY. SO, IN ESSENCE, IF PEOPLE DON’T CHECK THE CHURCH PARKING LOT ON SUNDAYS, NOTHING ABOUT YOUR FAITH WOULD DISTINGUISH YOU FROM ANYONE ELSE WHO FUNCTIONED AS A GOOD CITIZEN.” AND THIS REMINDS ME OF AN OLD SAYING THAT IF IT WERE ILLEGAL TO BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST’S GOSPEL WOULD ENOUGH EVIDENCE BE FOUND TO CONVICT US?

JAMES SLEDGE THEN WENT ON TO SAY: “IT’S WORTH NOTING THAT PROPHETS GENERALLY WERE NOT PERSECUTED FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVED. THE PEOPLE WHO PERSECUTED THEM WERE FELLOW MEMBERS OF THEIR FAITH, FELLOW WORSHIPPERS OF YAHYEH. THEY WERE PERSECUTED BECAUSE THEY INSISTED THAT BEING GOD’S PEOPLE DEMANDED THAT THEY LIVE DIFFERENTLY THEN THEY WERE DOING. THE PROPHETS INSISTED THAT THEY COULD NOT CLAIM TO BE GOD’S PEOPLE WHILE EXPLOITING THE POOR, WORRYING ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL FORTUNES MORE THAN GOD’S COMMANDS, AND SO ON.
AMEN




John Nesbitt+, Feb 9, 2014