NOTE: I am putting my weekly sermons on the church website. It will be on for two weeks (usually posted on Friday) and then placed in the Archives area by date. You can download in a matter of seconds.

Let me know what you think. The church Email is: SLUMC@att.net, Phone: 480.895.8766

November 3, 2002
Sermon: "What They Say, Not What They Do"
Scripture: Matthew 23: 1-12
Reverend Larry Gerber

In nautical lingo, a vessel that is "privileged" always has the right of way when encountering a boat that is "burdened." But in Jesus' view of divine justice, privileged people must yield to burdened people, and not do anything to increase their burdens.

While Jesus spent a fair amount of time on boats, it's unlikely he used the terms "burdened" and "privileged" in a nautical sense. But he knew all about privileges and burdens. "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat," says Jesus; "therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it" (Matthew 23:2-3). Jesus has no problem with the scribes and Pharisees since he respects the teaching and administrative authority of the synagogue leadership, an authority neatly summed up in the expression, "Moses' seat." Moses' seat was a seat of power, much like the seats of power we know exist today in city halls, in state capitals, in Washington, D.C., on Wall Street, and even in religious centers such as Vatican City. Many of us will be voting this Tuesday for candidates we want to send, or return, to certain secular seats of power.
Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to bother Jesus that a particular seat of power exists. But what makes him furious is that the power-people are blatant hypocrites.

"Do not do as they do," Jesus thunders, "for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them" (vv. 3-4). The Pharisees encourage the people as a whole to live as a priestly nation, and they apply purity laws to all the people of God, laws such as hand-washing before eating. But Jesus considers such purity laws to be human traditions, much less important than the commandments of God. "Listen and understand," he calls to the crowd in Matthew 15: "it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles" (vv. 10-11).

Much more serious than eating with unwashed hands, according to Jesus, are the sins of murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness and slander. And in a direct attack on the Pharisees and the scribes, Jesus accuses them of breaking a clear commandment of God when they give support to the temple instead of to their aging parents. It is far more important to obey the commandment to honor your father and your mother, he says, than to follow the tradition of dedicating property to the temple (15:3-6).

In nautical parlance, Jesus gets livid whenever privileged people beat up on burdened people.

Notice that Jesus turns time-honored nautical tradition on its head. On the water, a burdened vessel must serve the interests of the privileged vessel, but in life, Jesus says, it is the other way around: The privileged must serve the interests of the burdened. At the very least, the privileged must never do anything to increase the burden of the already burdened.

Justice is done, in a divine sense, when privileged vessels do whatever they can to assist burdened vessels.

Keep this in mind on Tuesday when you go to the polls, and ponder it whenever you encounter a person who is more burdened than yourself. As Christians, we are naturally going to have a wide variety of opinions on a broad spectrum of political issues, but we simply cannot be divided on the issue of social justice. Jesus makes it clear that it is wrong to side with privileged persons, those who "tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others" (23:4) ... those who "do all their deeds to be seen by others" (v. 5) ... those who "love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplace" (vv. 6-7).

When it comes to justice, we Christians cannot be on the side of the privileged, nor can we say we are neutral on the issue. Said Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, "When the elephant has his foot on the tail of the mouse, and you say you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

Nor will the burdened vessels of this world. In every place and in every time, disciples of Christ are called to do what they can to relieve the burdens of people around them.

Jesus wants us to focus on justice, not charity. He challenges us to obey his divine rules of navigation, which call for privileged people to give the right of way to burdened people. He commands us to look out for the burdened vessels around us, and to do what we can to assist them.

Last summer, on a clear day, in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, a 25,000 pound powerboat ran into, and over, a sloop under sail. It's fascinating to note that the operator of the powerboat says he did not see the sailboat. In much the same way, we often do not see the burdened masses around us. They seem invisible to us -and they are, unless we look at the world through the eyes of Jesus.

Election day is just around the corner. Study the people and the issues, and vote your conscience.

This is Stewardship Month in many churches, including ours. It is the time of self- evaluation, a time of looking in the mirror. Are we a burdened vessel, or a privileged vessel? Are we doing all we can to bring justice to the world, and eradicate injustice? Are we SHARING GOD'S GIFT?

A stewardship letter will go out at the end of this week. Next Sunday, Bob Campbell will share the projected budget for 2003, and Jim and Linda Rhodes will give a testimony as to the importance of the church in their life. Examine your conscience, break bread and drink from the cup of our Lord this morning. Set aside some time during these next 3 weeks, some time to examine your position on the ship called Sun Lakes United Methodist Church. Are you doing your part in bringing justice? Are you carrying your weight in your giving of time, talent, gifts, and service. Pray about your role in the ongoing ministry of this church. Fill out your commitment card, and praise God that you are sharing His gift with the burdened of the world.

Let us live our lives in ways that truly serve other people, for we remember that Jesus said that "The greatest among you will be your servant" (v. 11).

Only then will burdens be lifted, and true justice be done.

The table is set. God's greatest gift was His Son's death on the cross for our salvation. Can we do anymore that share that gift of redemption? Join me in The Prayer of Humble Access, as we prepare for Holy Communion.
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Sources:
Coffin, William Sloane. Passion for the Possible. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993, 36.

Let me know what you think. The church Email is: slumc@direcway.com, Phone: 480.895.8766