2010.02.28: Dr. George A. Purnell

			Dr. George A. Purnell February 28, 2010 “When Must We Go Our Own Way” Luke 13:31-35 I have wondered at times if I have the courage to stay firm in my convictions if they put me in danger. Or, would I justify acquiescing to the forces in opposition to me by compromising my strongly held principles? Strong beliefs separate us from others who hold dissimilar beliefs by their nature, and when those others are powerful people, coercion can be used to force our compliance. I believe that part of growing up is recognizing your core values, and knowing which among these are non negotiable. Sometimes we must draw a line and say: This is where we stand. We will not retreat. In our gospel lesson today, some sympathetic Pharisees come up to Jesus to warn him that Herod wants to kill him. These Pharisees want Jesus to take himself out of harm’s way, but Jesus responds defiantly: “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.’” He will not be scared away. His work will continue until he decides to stop. When this is completed, Jesus says, “I must be on my way...” He must be on his way to Jerusalem to fulfill his mission. I would like to focus on two words here – must and Jerusalem. Must is a word that appears again and again in the gospel of Luke. I must be in my Father’s house (2:49) The Son of Man must suffer many things (9:22) I must stay at your house today (19:5) the Son of Man must be handed over…and be crucified (24:7) These are the words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled. (24:44) Jesus must be on his way. His mission is not negotiable. Indeed, his mission defines the heart of who he is. Nothing can cause him to turn back. He is on his way to Jerusalem. I wonder if we have a “must” in this sense. Is there something so dear to us that nothing could cause us to abandon it? Is there something that so defines us that we will not change our course or our mind, no matter how real or imminent the threat… On October 31, 1517, a young monk named Martin Luther went to the door of the Wittenburg Cathedral to nail his “95 theses.” These words and this act of conviction changed history, and gave rise to what we know as the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation began as an attempt to doctrinally reform the Catholic Church in areas perceived to be false doctrines and ecclesiastic malpractice, such as in the teaching and sale of indulgences and doctrinal practices about purgatory; simony, the selling and buying of clerical offices; and regarding the authority of the Pope. Luther ultimately was brought before a council of the Church, where his fate and career within the Church would be decided. He based his defiance on his conviction that scripture alone was the word of God, not the opinions of theologians and church leaders which was made into doctrine over time. The accusation against him essentially was that he had no right to contradict the Church. Standing before this council (which excommunicated him from the Church in its ruling, by the way), Luther boldly spoke these words: “Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures…then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience. Here I stand. I can do not other. So help me God.” Is there something that would cause us to take such a stand? Examples of such courage and conviction from more recent history could include: Nelson Mandela, who did not let 27 years in prison embitter him. He came out of prison to lead in the movement to end Apartheid, which happened without the violence many had predicted. He became the first black President of South Africa. Martin Luther King, Jr. who insisted on a strategy of non violent resistance and led the Civil Rights movement in the United States in the 1960’s. King became a martyr for the cause when he was shot to death in April 1968. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who was a founding member of the Confessing Church and of the German Resistance movement against Nazism. Bonhoeffer courageously stood against Hitler and was martyred in April 1945, just hours before the liberation Allied troops arrived. Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was transformed from a pious, quiet and conservative cleric into a courageous leader of the fight for human rights and eloquent spokesperson for the biblical mandate for justice when his friend, Jesuit priest Rutilio Grande, was brutally killed for speaking out against injustice in 1977. As the regime ruling El Salvador became more and more violent and repressive, Romero was a leading prophetic voice for justice. After having been threatened repeatedly, Romero was martyred in March 1980. But, you say, I am not Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or Oscar Romero. I have not been confronted with a situation demanding such a choice from me. It is true that not many of us will be remembered as martyrs for a noble and just cause like these famous people. But we do face situations that require us to make a decision and take a stance. The second word that I would like to unpack is Jerusalem. One commentator I consulted preparing today’s sermon noted that Luke mentions Jerusalem 90 times, which is twice as many times as the whole rest of the New Testament combined. Jerusalem is clearly an important city and symbol in Luke. The pivotal point in the entire gospel of Luke come in chapter 9, verse 51: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” From this point to his arrival in chapter 19 and his crucifixion in chapter 23, Jesus is on his way to his confrontation with the Roman operatives and the ruling powers of Judaism in Jerusalem. Today in chapter 13, he is on his way. Herod’s threats cannot divert Jesus from his ministry of healing and reconciliation. And the inevitable confrontation with the ruling religious and political leaders in Jerusalem when he arrives is also not going to detour or detain him. For Jesus, there was no escaping the road to Jerusalem. What about us? Where are we headed and what will we confront when we get there? Jerusalem for someone here today may be the painful acknowledgment of something we have carried for years with guilt, but never had the courage to confess to God or to another. I believe in words found in the letter of James: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” Confession can be our Jerusalem… (I also believe in the wisdom of Alcoholics Anonymous. Step 5 of its recommended 12 steps of recovery reads – “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” Step 8 reads – “Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.” Step 9 reads – “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except where to do so would injure them or others.” You may need to acknowledge and confess your sin, and be willing to call or visit someone you harmed by word or deed or omission, and make amends. But you do not have the right to confess something to someone that will bring harm to them or someone with whom they are in relationship in order to lighten your own guilt. In cases such as these, you confess to your God and to another person whom you trust…your pastor, a therapist, or a dear friend…) For someone else here today Jerusalem may be the decision to change the way you live your life. You have lived a lifetime of being compliant to cultural values and rewards. You have accomplished and acquired. You have been the envy of many for your station in life. But you know the price: the opportunities to have been in service missed; the people ignored and relationships left undeveloped; the faith not sought. All these take time, and your time was heavily committed. But now you want to change direction, and devote yourself and your time to things that matter. For others, our Jerusalem may be taking a stand for something we know to be right, even against the tide of opinion of our friends. It might be a “small” matter compared to Bonhoeffer, King, or Mandela. It could be the refusal to remain silent when someone is being demeaned in their absence, and naming the wrong. It could be speaking out on something you feel powerfully about – a matter of public policy or of faith (religion and politics are not polite to talk about you know) – that you have been afraid to give voice to in your circle of friends and colleagues because it differs from the group norm. Our Jerusalem, at some level, is what we have come to believe is not negotiable. It is not something we can turn away from, because it is at the heart of who we are. And if the result is we must go our own way without some whose company we have valued, so it is. We must go. We can do no other. And God will be with us …Amen.