Sermon by Deacon Donna Lockhart, based on Luke 13:31-35
March 13, 2022
As I was reflecting on this Sunday’s Gospel reading, I ventured into a few of the earlier chapters of Luke that set the stage for where today’s Gospel passage takes us. In Chapter 9, we see Jesus and the twelve set out for Jerusalem after the transfiguration. With purpose and determination, Jesus firmly set his site on the city that he knew he was called to, to fulfill his earthly mission.
The group headed towards Jerusalem by way of Samaria where they run into opposition, as we know Samaritans and Jews did not get along and they did not welcome the travelers to their town. But despite the opposition he met along the way, Jesus continued the journey and stayed the course as he and the twelve went from village to village, teaching to all who would listen about the coming of the Kingdom.
As Jesus draws nearer to Jerusalem, he is warned by a group of Pharisees to turn back because King Herod wants to kill him. This is the same King Harrod who in chapter three of this Gospel beheaded Jesus’ friend, John the Baptist and gave John’s head to his daughter on a silver platter. However, knowing all of this did not deter Jesus from his path. Again, Jesus stays the course and continues to Jerusalem. Despite Harrod’s threats, Jesus’ mission to liberate the oppressed, heal the sick, feed and shelter the poor, and the fulfillment of his redemptive mission, far outweighed the threats coming from Harrod.
So, today’s Gospel lesson speaks clearly to Jesus’ courage and determination and challenges us to have the same courage and determination. Jesus knows that the world he is living in is profoundly hostile. That is why God incarnate came to us, to show us how to stand strong in the face of adversity, how to unearth the evil of the land, and how to till the soil so that it is made clean, fresh, and ready to be planted by the generations to come.
But how did Jesus’ do this? What belief carried Jesus so boldly into such adversity? What filled Jesus with this type of courage? And where did Jesus find God at this time?
I think at times it is hard for us to see God in the midst of adversity and like Jesus did the night before he was to be crucified, we may find ourselves asking God to let the cup that is before us pass us by, but then, and also as Jesus did, we pray for God’s will and God’s peace at the same time.
Recently, I had a conversation with a classmate who asked the question, “How do I see God in a world that is on fire?” We are studying Ignatian Spirituality and as my friend pointed out, one teaching of Ignatian Spirituality is that anxiety never comes from the Lord regardless of what is going on around us, we have to make a conscious act of faith in accepting that God wants us to have peace.
However, peace is not what my friend is feeling. She is from Germany, and as she watches from her home in this country, she sees and hears the stories of the war that is not more than 20 hrs. from her homeland. As she watches the stories of the refugees pouring out of Ukraine by the millions, the pain and reality of these visions hit her on a level that robs her of her inner peace and this peace is replaced with anxiety and a feeling of being powerless. It is these feelings which leads her to ask, “How do I see God in a world that is on fire?”
So, I echo my friend’s question, where is God and how can anyone have inner peace in the midst of a world on fire; a world full of injustice, oppression, inequality, and war. A world, a country, this country where the inflation promises to make the poor poorer, and to make the gap of inequality between the haves and the have nots grow ever wider. And what do we do when we feel powerless to move forward and be part of any lasting change and to extinguish the fires of our own lives, let alone the fires in our city, state, country, and indeed the world?
As I told my friend, and I will share with you here as well, look directly into the fire, because there is where you will find God; the God of the oppressed, the God of the have nots, the God of liberation. But this takes courage, because as we look into the fire to find God working, we must also look into our souls and see if we are truly standing as Christians in the fires of life with God. Are we truly following in the footsteps of Jesus and courageously walking into the adversity and injustice we live in – are we being agents for the change we want to see? Many of us may wonder, myself included, how can any of us truly make a difference in a world on fire?”
What we are to keep close to our hearts is that as Christians, we are far from powerless in the firestorms of life. We are a community of faith that believes in a God that is all powerful and we walk in faith knowing we are not alone, and that God is working ALL things for our good. It is in this faith, that we don the Armor of God as St. Paul teaches us in Ephesians. And in The Message, a contemporary translation of the Bible, we read in these same verses from Ephesians, that God is strong and wants us also to be strong: “So, take up everything the Creator [Master] has set out for you” because my friends “…this is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all the Devil’s [his] angels.”
So, let’s get ourselves prepared, grounded in the truth of Scripture, centered in faith and prayer, and in this Spirit, I invite us to take up the whole armor of God, so on that evil day we may be able to resist the principalities and powers of this world, “…and stand against the spiritual forces of evil...” Just as Jesus did in the face of a tyrant, we are called as Christians to stand firm and “…fasten the belt of truth around our [your] waists, put on the breastplate of righteousness, and stand ready to proclaim the gospel of peace…” We are called to take up the shield of faith and put on the helmet of salvation, as we stand, always stronger together, knowing in our hearts that the “…sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” is with us always.
My friends we are far from powerless because as a community of believers we believe in the omnipotence of our God. So, put on that armor, and as Jesus teaches us in today’s Gospel, stand strong in the face of evil, in whatever form that evil shows up. Be persistent in your quest and tireless in your efforts to fight for and promote the changes that need to happen in order to bring about justice for all. Today’s message of courage and persistence in the face of adversity is a powerful one and should help bring peace to our souls because, as we watch the world on fire, we know in our hearts, and in the strength of our faith communities, that we are never alone, God is with us in the fire!
As we travel through these weeks of Lent, examining ourselves and our relationship with God and our neighbors, I invite us to look deeply into ourselves and into the firestorms of our lives; for it is in these firestorms that you will find God, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Hope, and our Salvation, working as a:
• healthcare worker
• as a teacher
• as a first responder
• in our military
• as an essential employee
• as a good Samaritan
• as a volunteer,
• as an entertainer
• as a minister and as a member of our faith communities
In so many more places and so many more ways, God shows up in the fire by filling us with the strength and the courage to be active members in community, all of us, many parts working as one body. Look into the fire with the strength, courage, and faith of Jesus Christ, and know, you are never alone because it is in the fires of our lives, the fire of injustice, the fire of brokenness, the fire of oppression, and indeed the fire of war, that we see the power of God the Almighty working in miraculous ways, in the daily lives of our neighbors.
And in that power, we find the peace that is beyond all understanding and the peace that binds us together in the quest for justice! This is an act of faith. This is not easy. And it is up to us to remind each other in times of extreme trial, that God is ever near and working to put out the fires of today through you, through me, and through our neighbors.
Almighty God, we praise you, we thank you, and we bless you.
Amen.