Isaiah 58:1-9a    Matthew 5:13-20

Sometimes I think that the gospel is one giant jigsaw puzzle and it’s up to us to fit all then pieces together.

My father had jigsaw puzzles made of wood which  he ordered  from a company called PAR. Each puzzle came in a plain, dark green box; but there was no picture on the cover, only a name,  “Haying Time” or “Country Fair” which gave some idea of the subject but really no clue what it would look like when finished. The pieces were all hand cut, the shapes intriguing to a small child, because some of the pieces were cut to look like hats or mermaids or shovels. Later, when I had my own puzzles, Dad wouldn’t let me look at the picture on the box. “Too easy” he said. So, over time, I would have to wait for the picture to emerge as I got closer to finishing it; and as I saw what it was going to be, it was easier to fit in the pieces.

Often there were surprises: what I had imagined was a part of a flower turned out to be an ear, or a strawberry became a clown nose. Then there was always the piece that I was just sure had migrated from other puzzle by mistake; it just didn’t fit anywhere; or, the opposite, that famous “missing” piece. Look and look until you’re cross-eyed, it’s just not there, until, of course, it suddenly shows up towards the end, looking not at all as you had expected.

Each week, here, we spend time with one piece of the gospel, taking time to hear the words and gain some insight into the meaning. Each week we look at one part of this amazing picture. And, over time, as is true when solving a puzzle, we begin to see how the pieces fit into the larger picture. It may, seem, at first that a particular verse or event doesn’t seem to fit, until we read on or study more and it becomes a part of the whole. Or what we thought meant one thing, when joined with another section, becomes something quite different. But since this happens week after week, year after year, we have become quite familiar with the finished product. Thus, unlike my father’s puzzles, without the picture on the box, we know what it’s going to look like before we start.

But what about those people gathered on the mountainside? They had no idea how things were going to turn out. Some of them may have seen Jesus before that day, perhaps they had been there on the banks of the Jordan at his baptism, and were curious to know more about this mysterious stranger. For them, a piece or two of this puzzling character had begun to fall in place. Others, perhaps, had come late and had to sit far back in the crowd. It was hard to hear him, easy to misunderstand, wonder what the excitement was all about.

Or suppose you were one of those who knew Jesus fairly well. You had been with him as he taught in the synagogues, walked with him through the villages, seen him heal people of various illnesses. You were Andrew, Mary, James, and you believed in his power, you believed God was in him and now you wait, with the crowd, to hear what he will say to them. At first, the words coming out of his mouth sound like the man you know;  promises of blessing for all those who suffer now, a place of honor at God’s side, assurance that the hungry will be fed, the most lowly will reap the greatest reward; Jesus on the side of the forgotten, the oppressed, the poor. Yes, it’s all fitting together.

But then … something you didn’t expect, doesn’t quite seem to fit. To date, the Jesus that you have known has been all about healing, blessing; hope for those who have waited a long time for someone like him. You have bathed in the light of his presence, found solace in his words of comfort. Yet he says, “You are the light of the world”. Wait, what’s this? We thought he was the light! “You are the salt of the earth.” What in the world does that mean? And then, then, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees”…the Pharisees?  

We’re going to need to look more closely at this piece, see how it fits into the big picture.  “Righteousness” is the key word, but what exactly does it mean. It’s one of those words sprinkled throughout the Bible, most often attributed to God. In fact, the word righteousness, or righteous, appears more often in the Bible than “power” and even “love.”  Which means it’s pretty important.

God’s announcements to Israel in the words of Isaiah seem almost mocking: “Day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness.” As if. As if the ritual shows of fasting, putting on sackcloth and ashes is practicing righteousness. But, says Isaiah, that is not what God desires, requires. That is not righteousness. Rather; to loose the bonds of injustice, break every bond that binds the oppressed, give food to the hungry, house the homeless, shelter and clothe those who are forgotten; that is righteousness.

Jesus exhorts his listeners to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees. The Pharisees are faithful Jews known for study of Torah, day after day, as they seek to understand its words and follow to the very letter of the law. “And so do not think,” Jesus tells us,” that I have come to abolish the law, no, I have come to fulfill it, not one letter not one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” There is no condemnation of the Pharisees in those words; Jesus as a faithful Jew, has great respect for the law. But he is saying, they don’t go far enough. They may talk the talk better than anyone, but, you; we; are called not only to talk the talk but to walk the walk … share our bread, embrace the lost and forgotten, provide shelter and hospitality, free those imprisoned by hatred, or abuse, addiction, discrimination.

Indeed, the beatitudes, the blessings?…they are not ends in themselves. They are the means, the equipment in order for us to be instruments of healing; to shine the light of God’s love in the world and to salt the earth with goodness. This and even more…  This, and even more, Jesus tells us, will be needed to fulfill God’s vision. This, and even more, is needed to follow me.  This, and even more, is needed to complete the picture.

And what will that picture look like when all is said and done, when the time comes that all the hungry are fed, and the yoke lifted from the necks of the oppressed, when the guns and the swords and the words of hate are silenced forever? Who really knows? It’s a very big picture, with lots of pieces; and we’re still putting it together. But I do know one thing.  Somewhere in there, will be the face of Jesus.

~Polly

Carole won the Juror’s Choice award at the most recent Concord Art Association Show!  Here is a photo of her lovely work, “Prayer Flag.”

Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus faced many challenges as a preacher. He had to capture the imagination of a diverse crowd. He had to rely on his natural vocal abilities to project his message.  This resulted in occasional confusion, according to the British comedians Monty Python – did he say “Blessed are the peacemakers” or “Blessed are the cheesemakers?” Jesus faced many challenges, but he knew how to draw a congregation and how to keep their attention. People followed him all the way out up to a mountain with only the promise of a sermon – no choir, no organ, no coffee, no childcare, no well-known beloved community. And once they were there, Jesus transfixed these people with words of hope, words of challenge, words powerful enough to change hearts and minds.

This passage from Matthew is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ most famous sermon.  Perhaps you have heard it before. Maybe you have heard it so many times that it fails to confuse you anymore. But it is a strange text, and one that commentators are still arguing about.

The controversy centers on the translation of the first word in this string of statements, the Greek “makarios.” Should we translate it: “Happy are” (happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven)? Or “fortunate are” (fortunate are those who mourn, for they will be comforted)? “Blessed Are” (blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied)? This is the most common translation, but hard to interpret. According to my sources, the best translation may be, “How honored are” (how honored are the pure in heart, for they will behold God).

Why does it matter? Jesus is trying to tell us something. He’s giving us words of hope, words of challenge, words that are meant to change us. What is it that he’s trying to say?

It’s not that those who struggle are happy or fortunate. There’s no need to romanticize poverty, sickness, or violence. And God doesn’t give us challenges just so that we can gain character, or prove our worth. Let’s let go of that translation. And it’s not that those who struggle are being punished or have been abandoned – a misunderstanding of our culture and sometimes, also, the church.

No, Jesus has a more revolutionary idea to share with us. God blesses and honors the poor, the grieving, the meek, the desperate, and the persecuted. God lays her hands upon them, and dwells within them, and lifts them up –  these beloved sisters and brothers, and we ourselves.

We, as followers of Jesus, are part of the body of Christ. And we try to follow the teachings Jesus offered on the mountain. We try to bless and honor those who might otherwise be only gossiped about or pitied, ignored or avoided. One of the ways we do it is through prayer shawls. These shawls are knit by and prayed over by members and friends of this community. We give them to folks who, for one reason or another, may be having trouble feeling the love and blessing and honor of God. We give them to be a visible reminder, a physical reminder, of the love and blessing and honor of this community.

Holy one, come now, and bring your presence and power among us.  May we feel how you honor and bless us. May we be among those who bless and honor others in Jesus’ name with a kind word, a compassionate act, a laying on of hands, a prayer-filled shawl. Amen.

“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.  Psalm 27:8
Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Matthew 4:19

The psalmist cries out with longing to see God’s face. Through these words, Jews and Christians have expressed our desire to encounter God for thousands of years. But how do we fulfill that desire? How can we find God?

The bible is full of stories of divine encounter, each of them different. Sarah and Abraham unwittingly host angels when they open their house to three strangers. The prophet Elijah finds God in a still, small voice.  Jonah meets God in the belly of a fish.  Everyone experiences God in a different way.

This week, we read about how Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John encounter God in a stranger named Jesus, who calls to them while they are casting and mending their nets. Ever since then, Christians have discovered that we can glimpse God through Jesus, too.  We can’t see Jesus’ face in the same way that the disciples did. Still, we can learn about him in our scriptures. We can encounter the presence and spirit of Christ in prayer.  And we can meet Jesus in one another.  “Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it,” the Apostle Paul writes (1 Corinthians 12:27).

Paul’s idea may seem farfetched. Other Christians we meet may not particularly remind us of Jesus. And we ourselves may not always magnificently resemble the one we call Word, Light, Lord, Liberator.  Moreover, the church has not perfectly embodied Jesus by any stretch of the imagination.

But the followers of Jesus who gathered on the feast of Pentecost after the resurrection received a glorious calling that is our precious inheritance. They were called to be, together, the body of Christ in the world. This is one reason to get up on Sunday morning, and get ourselves to church. One reason to stick around with a faith community, giving money, giving time, opening our hearts. We’ll witness many mistakes, and make plenty ourselves. But then we’ll look up from our work because we hear the voice of God; we’ll look up and we’ll see the face of God; God will be speaking to us, and shining through to us, through the voices and faces of our sisters and brothers in Christ.

God, I give thanks for the Christ in those around me.  I give thanks for the Christ in me.  I give thanks for the Christ in all of us, and in the church universal.  Call us again to resemble you more closely, healing ourselves and the world with your love. Amen.

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”  John 1:35-36

When we learn about Jesus’ baptism in the Gospel of John, we don’t see the crowd, the water, the Spirit of God descending like a dove. We don’t hear the voice of God declaring: “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” In this version of the story, all we have to go on is the testimony of John the Baptist.

You may remember John the Baptist, the prophet with a fiery tongue who we meet in our Advent texts. But here John shows his softer side. In this text, he’s in awe. Here John testifies that Jesus is the Son of God; the whole reason for his calling as a baptizer. He tells his followers, “Look! Here is the Lamb of God!”

John’s testimony is so powerful that two of his disciples take off after Jesus instead. Surprised, Jesus asks them, “What are you looking for?” as if they might be looking for the bathroom, or the way to the closest sandal repair shop. But they say, “Rabbi, teacher, where are you staying?” Jesus replies, “Come and see.” In the other stories of the disciples, it is Jesus’ words or actions, or his invitation, that cause people to follow him. But in this case, it is simply the testimony of John.

This weekend we celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. He was a great man, a man of faith and wisdom and courage. In 39 short years he changed our country, helping us to imagine a different future for ourselves and move towards it with dignity. He spoke and organized with passion, becoming a leader in the civil rights movement and then a powerful voice drawing attention to issues of poverty and war.

Because he is such a hero in our nation, I think there has been a temptation to cast him in the role of Jesus, a flawless savior. We want him to be perfect, to have all the answers. All these years after his death, we can sweep his humanity under the rug, and even forget that he was controversial. But for all his great gifts, Martin Luther King was not flawless. At his best, this very human preacher was much more similar to John the Baptist than Jesus.

Through his upbringing in the church, and the influence of Christian writers and leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. came to recognize a profound truth in Jesus’ teachings. And he spent his life drawing attention to those teachings. He spent his life testifying to what he had seen, and heard, and felt:

So I want to turn your attention to this subject: “Loving Your Enemies.” … In the fifth chapter of the gospel as recorded by Saint Matthew, we read these very arresting words flowing from the lips of our Lord and Master: “Ye have heard that it has been said, ‘Thou shall love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.’ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.”

…Now let me hasten to say that Jesus was very serious when he gave this command; he wasn’t playing. He realized that it’s hard to love your enemies. He realized that it’s difficult to love those persons who seek to defeat you, those persons who say evil things about you. He realized that it was painfully hard, pressingly hard. But he wasn’t playing. And we cannot dismiss this passage as just … a sort of exaggeration to get over the point. This is a basic philosophy of all that we hear coming from the lips of our Master. Because Jesus wasn’t playing; because he was serious. We have the Christian and moral responsibility to seek to discover the meaning of these words, and to discover how we can live out this command, and why we should live by this command.

And this is what Jesus means, I think, in this very passage when he says, “Love your enemy.” And it’s significant that he does not say, “Like your enemy…. There are a lot of people that I find it difficult to like. … But Jesus says love them. And love is greater than like. Love is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody, because God loves them. You refuse to do anything that will defeat an individual, because you have agape in your soul. …. This is what Jesus means when he says, “Love your enemy.” This is the way to do it. When the opportunity presents itself when you can defeat your enemy, you must not do it.

So this morning, as I look into your eyes, and into the eyes of all of my brothers in Alabama and all over America and over the world, I say to you, “I love you. I would rather die than hate you.” And I’m foolish enough to believe that through the power of this love somewhere, men of the most recalcitrant bent will be transformed. And then we will be in God’s kingdom. We will be able to matriculate into the university of eternal life because we had the power to love our enemies, to bless those persons that cursed us, to even decide to be good to those persons who hated us, and we even prayed for those persons who despitefully used us.

Oh God, help us in our lives and in all of our attitudes, to work out this controlling force of love, this controlling power that can solve every problem that we confront in all areas. Oh, we talk about politics; we talk about the problems facing our atomic civilization. Grant that all men will come together and discover that as we solve the crisis and solve these problems—the international problems, the problems of atomic energy, the problems of nuclear energy, and yes, even the race problem—let us join together in a great fellowship of love and bow down at the feet of Jesus. Give us this strong determination. In the name and spirit of this Christ, we pray. Amen.

Martin Luther King pointed the way towards Jesus, who, in turn, points us towards the very heart and mystery of God. As we remember him this week, perhaps we can be encouraged to ask, not “What would Jesus do?” – but, “What would Martin do? What would John the Baptist do? And who around us do we see who is a prophet for this time and place – pointing the way to Jesus?”

Some of us are gifted with experiences in which God comes very close. But most of us, most of the time, need to rely on the help of others – great prophets, friends, neighbors – to tell us to “look!” Look at the presence of God, and what God is doing in the world. Only then, when we’re pointed in the right direction, can we hear God saying, “Come and see.”

God, thank you for all your prophets: famous, infamous, and unknown, who say, “Look!” when they see you passing by. Amen.

At church this past Sunday, members spoke about how the guiding star they picked up last Epiphany had influenced them, leading them in surprising directions and deeper into God’s call for their lives. Then each of us chose a new star for this new year.

Did you miss it? Come by the church and choose a star of your own. No peeking or changing — let God surprise you.

Struggling to connect with your word?  Try looking it up in a dictionary or searching for it in a biblical concordance (there’s a search field in the middle of this page).

May your star be a blessing to you as you bring the light of Christ into your daily life this year.

Walking into Jean’s home is like walking into a gallery of fine needlework. Magnificent quilts and exquisite embroidery line the walls. Jean is an artist whose tools are needle and thread. Our church has been the beneficiary of her gifts for many years.

Jean is a third generation member of WCUC. Her grandmother Margaret worshipped here and brought her two children, George and Jean’s mother Emma, to the church’s early cradle roll. After Emma married Charles, they moved to Connecticut, where Jean was born, but they would come back often to visit her uncle George in West Concord. George and his wife Gladys, long-time members of WCUC, just happened to live next door to a young man on Harrington Avenue named Jerry. And so it was that, soon after Jean and Jerry were married, they moved to Old Marlboro Road and Jean joined WCUC.  Their four children became the fourth WCUC generation of the family. They were all baptized by Rev. Nylen and attended Sunday School here.

Jean has been an active member of the church for fifty years, serving on the Board of Trustees and for over twenty years as a member of the Fellowship Committee. She was the church secretary in the late sixties into the seventies, working with three different pastors. Familiar names to the old-timers among us are the women who came in to fold the (mimeographed) Messenger every week for her: Marguerite, Edie, Ola and Ruth, all members of the Helping Hand women’s society. But what this writer didn’t know was that there existed another group at that time, the Santa Chiara Guild, for the young married women, whose purpose was also to meet, socialize and provide assistance in the community. My guess is that there are some folks in our community who were recipients of Jean’s handiwork then and who are still as grateful as we are for Jean’s generosity and talent.  ~ Polly