The Seventh Sunday After The Epiphany - February 23, 2025

Summary

Mother Suzanne explores Jesus's Sermon on the Plain from Luke's Gospel, focusing on how the Beatitudes call us to live counter-culturally through divine reversals. Through stories of their church's blessing box and refrigerator, she illustrates how living by Jesus's teachings—giving without expectation, showing mercy, and loving enemies—makes Christians "light to a very dark world" and creates moments where "the veil between this world and the next becomes a little less thick."

THE GOSPEL                                                                                                                        Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." 

Artwork: Calling of the Apostles - The Sistine Chapel, by Domenico Ghirlandaio (2 June 1448 – 11 January 1494)

Transcript

Mother Suzanne:

The dream of God is a dream of peace, freedom and hope for all people. Such a dream can only come true when we see that kings really do ride on donkeys. Messiahs really are friends of sinners. God really has taken on human flesh and the poor, the meek and the peacemakers really are the blessed ones in the name of the trying Godfather Son and Holy Spirit, amen. Please be seated. Thank God for these profound examples of divine reversals as they attune our hearts to the more meaningful truths in life if we are open to listening to them, and then the harder work of actually doing them. Today's gospel for the second week in a row is taken from what is traditionally known as Jesus's sermon on the plane. It's Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount. It's much shorter, and this teaching from Jesus isn't up on a mountain like it is in the gospel of Matthew.

It's on a level place called a plane where great crowds of people have gathered and Jesus begins to teach what are known as the beatitudes. Beatitudes are essentially short sayings on how one should live, almost counter-cultural, but instructions for a life of abundance, for example. What does it mean to give without expecting anything in return? Well, this is a call to extend the generous give and take that is usually reserved for immediate family, those who you care most about. To everyone. Imagine a world where the economy change from. I give you this. If you give me that to, I share this with you because you'll share with me when I am in need.

For those who have spent any time on this campus, this campus of Grace Episcopal, you quickly understand that is what happens here. In fact, there are signs in two specific places that remind us and those who step onto the grounds of grace, how we choose to live and move in a different way. Right outside of our door is the first sign on our blessing box, and if you walk across the street, there is a blessing refrigerator, and this is what it says, take what you need, leave what you can't. Who would have ever imagined that a wooden box and a very, very old refrigerator could be the conduits of the economy of God? The constant give and take, the show of abundance and immeasurable grace, believing with your whole heart. If something goes out, by golly, something is going to come in. If you have spent any time here, you know it happens again and again.

On Friday, a man quietly came to the office door knocked and said, I put as much food into the blessing box that it will hold, but I still have another box of food to give. What shall I do with it? I said, bring it in. We'll make sure when it's time we'll get it all out. Don't you worry, and as I ask everybody, what's your name? He shyly responded, I'm nobody. You're nobody. It was clear to me he didn't want any attention brought to himself, but with a little prodding, he shared his name. It's Larry. He then shared with me how he lives in Angleton and drives to Alvin every single week, multiple times to bring food to the blessing box.

He does this because as Jesus says, do good, lend and expect absolutely nothing in return. Later that day, as everyone knows on Fridays, we bring a mobile shower trailer onto the campus of grace. We provide breakfast, fresh clothing, laundered, linens, and Matthew. Yay. Matthew figured out how to turn the heater on in the showers this week. So that was huge. So this particular man had gone to the refrigerator, opened it up, gotten what he needed, which wasn't much. He looked at me and he said, it's okay. I don't want to take more than what I need.

Struck me an unhoused man with only the clothes he was wearing and a very small backpack. Was thinking of others when he said, I'm not too hungry now. Someone else probably needs it more than I do with kindness. He thanked me for having the refrigerator and the blessing box, and before he walked off, he said, thank you for the hot shower. This morning for 15 minutes, I was able to forget about how cold it's, and with a smile. He said, it was wonderful. As Jesus says, do to others as you would have done to you in these moments, when we do, as Jesus says, heaven becomes real. The veil between this world and the next becomes a little less thick, becomes thin. We catch a glimpse of perfection. Our hearts are moved and we want to do more. We want to take part in the building of the kingdom of God because Jesus says, to extend mercy is to be given mercy.

So each week I belabor the point, probably sometimes when I ask you as the church to be part of blessing others by simply writing your name down on the cards outside to remind those who aren't in worship with us. We can't remind everybody, but we sure try. We remind our people who are at home, who are sick, who coming to church at this particular time is just too hard that they are not forgotten, that they are not alone, to remind them that this body is thinking of them. Yesterday I received a text from a woman who received one of these cards that we sent last week, and these were her words. As I open the card from the members of Grace Church, it brought tears to my eyes as I was touched deeply by the prayerful sentiments expressed, all I can say is thank you, and just this week, a man having health issues received a card from our Tuesday morning Bible study. He was deeply touched to receive it as he and his wife navigate challenging health issues right now, a folded piece of paper gave he and his wife comfort and peace to face their current challenge.

This folded piece of paper was signed by members of Grace, reminding he and his wife that his community of faith for 50 years is with him and has not forgotten him. Jesus says, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Be merciful, forgive. Don't judge and don't condemn. Why does he say that? So that we can relate to him better, so that we can relate to one another better. We disciples, those who have chosen to walk the way of Jesus are to live and to relate to others in a way that stands out and it's just not set enough.

We have to be different. We have to order our lives in a different way because the world needs it. Where I get inspiration is always the early church. The early church consistently turned the other cheek by continuing to share and live the gospel out to those who continuously rejected them. Those in the early church never fought back. Instead, they overcame evil with good. So Jesus says, be merciful. In essence, act consistently with the revelation of God's covenant. What does that mean? God is gracious and God is merciful. Therefore, we should be too. So Jesus offers these words. The sermon on the plane doesn't make sense probably to an unbelieving world. It's so countercultural because divine reversal is always bewildering until it isn't. Until it is healing, until it is lovely and image bearing and life changing. These words of Jesus, they should be in our hearts. We should live by them and be guided by them and strive to embody them because he embodies them. Dear people of grace, we do our best as God wants us to do because in order to see and live and love as God does, we are light to a very dark world. Don't forget that ever. Amen.