Questions of identity
Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
This week has been a difficult one for our parish. We lost a beloved and long-term member. We gather together this morning with our hearts a little heavy, our spirits somewhat anxious, with our minds turned toward the future asking, “What now Lord?” “What now?” “What is next?”
A fundamental question I think most people wrestle with at some time or another is, “Who am I?” “Where am I going?” and “What is the purpose of all of this?”
Some of you may be familiar with the work of Henri Nouwen. Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic Priest (1932-1996) who died in 1996, and wrote extensively on matters of spirituality, identity, pastoral ministry and other faith issues. Central to his work was a desire for people to know their belovedness as children of God. He wanted God’s people to know their identity in Christ. He shared once that people generally answer the question of “Who am I? by answering in three ways: I am what I do; I am what other people say about me; and I am what I have.
Hold on to that thought for a minute.
Today’s Gospel passage often entitled Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, but here in Luke we are told that Jesus came down and stood on the plain, on a level place. People debate whether or not there were two separate sermons or the same account told differently. Either way, we are told that there was a great crowd of people but when Jesus began to speak, he spoke to his disciples. He addressed his disciples. Same type of people whom I am speaking to today. For you are God’s disciples.
Jesus begins this discourse using the terms. “blessed” and contrasting it with statements of “woe” Preachers and others have gotten caught up in defining blessing and woes through the years and trying to make meaning of them.
Eugene H. Peterson wrote a version of the Bible in contemporary language that was published in a piecemeal fashion over a nine year period that was completed in 2002. It is entitled The Message, and some of you may be familiar with it. It is not a translation, of the Bible, not a word-by-word translation, or a thought-by-thought translation, but rather his intent as a pastor was to have it in an understandable English version while maintaining its original meaning as best as possible. I want to read this passage of Scripture to you now from The Message, which is a version of the Bible. Sit and listen. He does something different as he defines the blessings and woes which I think is worth hearing.
Luke 6:17-26 (The Message)
17 Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. 19 Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! 20 Then he spoke:
You're blessed when you've lost it all.
God's kingdom is there for the finding.
21 You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry.
Then you're ready for the Messianic meal.
You're blessed when the tears flow freely.
Joy comes with the morning.
22 "Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable.
23 You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don't like it, I do... and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.
24 But it's trouble ahead if you think you have it made.
What you have is all you'll ever get.
25 And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it's trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games.
There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it.
26 "There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them.
Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.
Your task is to be true, not popular. There’s suffering to be met and you’re going to meet it.
The Gospel of Luke is speaking and teaching us about the Kingdom of God.
There are reversed values in the Kingdom of Jesus.
It’s a reversal of fortunes. It is a new world view.
Some say that in reading the Gospel of Luke, it is always important to keep Luke 24:11 in mind. After Jesus was raised from the dead, the disciples response to the empty tomb was that they thought it was not true. They thought it was an idle tale. This is important to keep in mind as you read Luke. Rejection of the upside-downness of things is inherent in this Gospel. What Jesus was teaching and demonstrating with his life, didn’t make sense. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, Luke writes so that the story of Jesus’ life might be told. And many of the stories center around Jesus ministering and doing things contrary to the way things were done and had been done up to that point.
There is nothing to be counted on. Jesus’ coming in Luke is the story of a different world order. Luke here, in Jesus’ words, is re-orienting peoples’ perspective.
Anna Carter Florence, professor of preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary says, in speaking of Luke 24:11 and the upside-downiness of Jesus’ teaching in Luke, says, “If the dead can’t even stay dead, what is there to count on?”
Jesus came and turned the world upside down. Christianity is a different way of seeing things. It is contrary to the world. It is an upside down view of human success and humanity.
Jesus here is giving his disciples something to hold on to when bad times come. In spite of having experiences of need (poverty, hunger, grief, rejection), as his disciples connected to Jesus, they are blessed.
They will experience (because they are God’s children, his disciples), the great reversal in the Kingdom of God.
Their identity, connection and rootedness in Christ is promise of a great future.
And this is really the point of this sermon. Our identity. Whose are we? And how is our confidence in this shown? In what do we root our identity?
Libby said to me last Sunday, “I just don’t know why all of this is happening?” Then she said with a twinkle in her eye, “Old age. Old age.”
Don’t think when you are going through the hard times that God isn’t with you. Don’t think God is not there.
Sometimes we ask and don’t understand, “Why are these bad things happening to us?”
Bad things aren’t a sign that God is not with us. Something just are.
Our identity, our securities, are not based on wealth, or good health, or having our stomachs full. We are blessed because of whose we are, and our reward is in heaven.
There is suffering to be met in the words of The Message. And we are going to meet it. None of us are going to be excluded. And don’t be discouraged when it happens - God is a God of reversals and those who weep now, will laugh later.
Back to Nouwen and his observation that most people when asked who they are respond by different versions of , “I am what I do; I am what other people say about me, I am what I have.”
Our identity is not based here on this earth. Our identity is firmly rooted as God’s children and our home is elsewhere.
I don’t know why all of this is happening either Libby. It sure is not fun. But we are the children of God. And our identity and our hope, lies elsewhere.
Amen.
This week has been a difficult one for our parish. We lost a beloved and long-term member. We gather together this morning with our hearts a little heavy, our spirits somewhat anxious, with our minds turned toward the future asking, “What now Lord?” “What now?” “What is next?”
A fundamental question I think most people wrestle with at some time or another is, “Who am I?” “Where am I going?” and “What is the purpose of all of this?”
Some of you may be familiar with the work of Henri Nouwen. Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic Priest (1932-1996) who died in 1996, and wrote extensively on matters of spirituality, identity, pastoral ministry and other faith issues. Central to his work was a desire for people to know their belovedness as children of God. He wanted God’s people to know their identity in Christ. He shared once that people generally answer the question of “Who am I? by answering in three ways: I am what I do; I am what other people say about me; and I am what I have.
Hold on to that thought for a minute.
Today’s Gospel passage often entitled Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, but here in Luke we are told that Jesus came down and stood on the plain, on a level place. People debate whether or not there were two separate sermons or the same account told differently. Either way, we are told that there was a great crowd of people but when Jesus began to speak, he spoke to his disciples. He addressed his disciples. Same type of people whom I am speaking to today. For you are God’s disciples.
Jesus begins this discourse using the terms. “blessed” and contrasting it with statements of “woe” Preachers and others have gotten caught up in defining blessing and woes through the years and trying to make meaning of them.
Eugene H. Peterson wrote a version of the Bible in contemporary language that was published in a piecemeal fashion over a nine year period that was completed in 2002. It is entitled The Message, and some of you may be familiar with it. It is not a translation, of the Bible, not a word-by-word translation, or a thought-by-thought translation, but rather his intent as a pastor was to have it in an understandable English version while maintaining its original meaning as best as possible. I want to read this passage of Scripture to you now from The Message, which is a version of the Bible. Sit and listen. He does something different as he defines the blessings and woes which I think is worth hearing.
Luke 6:17-26 (The Message)
17 Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. 19 Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! 20 Then he spoke:
You're blessed when you've lost it all.
God's kingdom is there for the finding.
21 You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry.
Then you're ready for the Messianic meal.
You're blessed when the tears flow freely.
Joy comes with the morning.
22 "Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable.
23 You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don't like it, I do... and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.
24 But it's trouble ahead if you think you have it made.
What you have is all you'll ever get.
25 And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it's trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games.
There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it.
26 "There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them.
Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.
Your task is to be true, not popular. There’s suffering to be met and you’re going to meet it.
The Gospel of Luke is speaking and teaching us about the Kingdom of God.
There are reversed values in the Kingdom of Jesus.
It’s a reversal of fortunes. It is a new world view.
Some say that in reading the Gospel of Luke, it is always important to keep Luke 24:11 in mind. After Jesus was raised from the dead, the disciples response to the empty tomb was that they thought it was not true. They thought it was an idle tale. This is important to keep in mind as you read Luke. Rejection of the upside-downness of things is inherent in this Gospel. What Jesus was teaching and demonstrating with his life, didn’t make sense. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, Luke writes so that the story of Jesus’ life might be told. And many of the stories center around Jesus ministering and doing things contrary to the way things were done and had been done up to that point.
There is nothing to be counted on. Jesus’ coming in Luke is the story of a different world order. Luke here, in Jesus’ words, is re-orienting peoples’ perspective.
Anna Carter Florence, professor of preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary says, in speaking of Luke 24:11 and the upside-downiness of Jesus’ teaching in Luke, says, “If the dead can’t even stay dead, what is there to count on?”
Jesus came and turned the world upside down. Christianity is a different way of seeing things. It is contrary to the world. It is an upside down view of human success and humanity.
Jesus here is giving his disciples something to hold on to when bad times come. In spite of having experiences of need (poverty, hunger, grief, rejection), as his disciples connected to Jesus, they are blessed.
They will experience (because they are God’s children, his disciples), the great reversal in the Kingdom of God.
Their identity, connection and rootedness in Christ is promise of a great future.
And this is really the point of this sermon. Our identity. Whose are we? And how is our confidence in this shown? In what do we root our identity?
Libby said to me last Sunday, “I just don’t know why all of this is happening?” Then she said with a twinkle in her eye, “Old age. Old age.”
Don’t think when you are going through the hard times that God isn’t with you. Don’t think God is not there.
Sometimes we ask and don’t understand, “Why are these bad things happening to us?”
Bad things aren’t a sign that God is not with us. Something just are.
Our identity, our securities, are not based on wealth, or good health, or having our stomachs full. We are blessed because of whose we are, and our reward is in heaven.
There is suffering to be met in the words of The Message. And we are going to meet it. None of us are going to be excluded. And don’t be discouraged when it happens - God is a God of reversals and those who weep now, will laugh later.
Back to Nouwen and his observation that most people when asked who they are respond by different versions of , “I am what I do; I am what other people say about me, I am what I have.”
Our identity is not based here on this earth. Our identity is firmly rooted as God’s children and our home is elsewhere.
I don’t know why all of this is happening either Libby. It sure is not fun. But we are the children of God. And our identity and our hope, lies elsewhere.
Amen.