#excommunicate

[underworlddreams]

Excommunicate

Artist: Matt Stewart Set: Shards of Alara

Rebels and other malcontents forced into the ritual awake lost in Topa's vast savannahs. Those who find their way back return humble and repentant.

[art-of-mtg]

Excommunicate (Shards of Alara) - Matt Stewart

[religioused]

Blessed are the Shunned

by Gary Simpson

Luke 6:17-27 (Moffatt Bible) With them he came down the hill and stood on a level spot.  There was a great company of his disciples with him, and a large multitude of people from all Judaea, from Jerusalem, and from the cost of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to get cured of their diseases.  18Those who were annoyed with unclean spirits also were healed.  Indeed the whole of the crowd made efforts to touch him, for power issued from him and cured everybody.  Then, raising his eyes, he looked at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you poor! The Realm of God is yours. Blessed are you who hunger today! You shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep today! You shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men will hate you, when they will excommunicate you and denounce you and defame you as wicked, on account of the Son of man; rejoice on that day and leap for joy! Rich is your reward in heaven - for their fathers did the very same thing to the prophets.

24 But woe to you rich folk! You get all the comforts you will ever get. Woe to you have have your fill today! You will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh today! You will wail and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you!  That is just what their fathers did to the false prophets.  I tell you, my hearers, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.

This week, like last week, I am weaving some material related to Black History Month, into my sermon.  I believe that we are better off to reflect some about Black History and racism each week for the month than we are to be overwhelmed in one week and then never think about Black History for another year.

I ran across an illustration, containing a photograph of what looks like a number of protestors.  The photo appears on the Bixby Knolls Christian Church Facebook account.  The words on the photo are provided with a short statement indicating the congregation is an “Open and Affirming congregation, because of the Bible, not in spite of it.”

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR:  Moabites are bad.  They were not allowed to dwell among God’s people (Dt. 23). BUT THEN comes the story of “Ruth the Moabite,” which challenges the prejudice against Moabites.

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR:  People from Uz are evil (Jer. 25).  AND YET, in the story of Job, a man from Uz is “the most blameless man on earth.” THE BIBLE IS CLEAR:  No foreigners or eunuchs allowed (Dt 23).  BUT THEN comes the story of an African eunuch welcomed to the church (Acts 8).

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR:  God’s people hated Samaritans.  AND YET Jesus tells a story that shows that not all Samaritans were bad.

THE STORY MAY BEGIN with prejudice, discrimination and animosity, but the Spirit moves God’s people toward openness, welcome, inclusion, acceptance, and affirmation.[1]

My prayer is that the Spirit will move me toward openness, welcome, inclusion, acceptance, and affirmation.  And openness, welcome, inclusion, acceptance, and affirmation are the heart of Family Day and are the heart of Black History Month.

The context of Biblical stories is important. Chapter 6 of Luke's Gospel includes Jesus' demonstrating how the Sabbath can be celebrated, the choosing of the apostles, and the beatitudes. The reading for this week contains beatitudes and woes.

While I am not a Biblical linguist, I disagree with how some people translate the beattitudes. Young's Literal Translation uses the word happy instead of blessed. Young's Literal Translation, "Happy are those hungering now," might be literal, but it does not pass the test of common sense to me. Those of us who have had to go to bed the odd time hungry do not really find that to be a happy situation. If you are happy when you are hungry, I am not sure I want you cooking anything for me. There is a serious contradiction in the thought that those who cry are happy. I know many people who've experienced church discipline. Deeply hurt and bitter better describes their emotions than the word happy. The New Living Translation is much better. "God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied."

The word translated blessed means "possessing the favor of God." To be blessed ". . . is equivalent to having God's kingdom within one's heart." [2]  Those who are poor, hungry, sad, or have been excommunicated have the "favor of God."  The Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter has a special blessing for those who are poor, hungry, discouraged, and excommunicated.

The first people Jesus says receive God's special favor are the poor - those who are poor and hungry.  Another group Jesus states get a special favor from God are those who are despised by the religious.  I think Jesus knew how deeply the hearts of those who have faced rejection from their communities of faith ache.  He spent more time talking about those who have been rejected by their spiritual families than the poor and the hungry combined.  The contributors to the Christian Community Bible comment, "God shows his mercy especially by his generosity towards the poor and the despised.  He also entrusts his Gospel to them and makes them the first to participate in his work in the world."[3]

The Greek has meaning that speaks to the experience of marginalized people in society and in some churches.  The word translated wicked means a "malignant," corrupting evil”.[4]  Recent concerns about refugees and immigrants to the United States and Canada have been stated in such a way as to make people living in the United States and Canada feel fear, because these immigrants might be thieves, drug dealers, rapists, murderers and terrorists.  As a result, immigrants and refugees are viewed as a malignant, corrupting evil on society.  Immigrants and refugees with brown or black skin or with Muslim sounding names become suspect in the minds of some people.

Jesus says that those who are seen in society as being like a malignant sinful cancer, those who are believed to be corrupting society because of their faith in God receive a special blessing.  To God's indigenous children, to God’s Asian children, to God’s black and brown skinned children, the message is very strong, very clear.  While people may defame you, accuse you of wickedness, hate you, and excommunicate you, God's favor, God's blessing is there for you.

The level of fear of outsiders is so high that I have been attacked a number of times for daring to point out either the evil of Islamophobia, an evil that seems to help some people justify entering a mosque to kill worshippers, or for pointing out the positive things Muslims are doing for our community.  Recently, I had people angry with me for indicating a mosque in Edmonton opened its doors for homeless people during an intensely cold spell.

A message is in this text for churches and church institutions that reject people for the color of the skin, for their gender or for their sexual orientation. The very people you reject are receiving a special blessing, because they have God's favor!

The Christian Community Bible notes that the contribution of the poor ". . . is most necessary to the building of the Kingdom," and "when the Church forgets this, she" does what Jesus criticized.[5]  I will go beyond what the Christian Community Bible commentators say.  Those who are discriminated against by society are the very people who are necessary to build the church.  When the church of Jesus Christ excludes people, the church is guilty of the same mistake, the same sin, as the religious people of Jesus' time.  We have a serious problem when the church rejects people the people God chooses to be among the first to take part in God’s work in this world.

The text contains blessings and woes. The word woe sounds very strong, almost angry. These are words of a caring warning. The woes are not curses. The woes are expressions of grief.[6]  A woe is a "cry of pain that results from misfortune."[7]  God, the Son, is in grief over the potential plight of some people who are wealthy, happy, and highly respected in religious circles.  Jesus' message to those who are rich, who have lives filled with laughter, and who are spoken highly of in religious circles is, "Watch out. In time, you may find yourself crying in pain, because of your misfortunes."

Many people are praising church denominations, church-run schools and colleges, church institutions, and church leaders who reject or marginalize God's children due either to their color or their identity. To them, Jesus is saying, "I am mourning for you. People are praising you just like they praised the false prophets of the past."

Because there is a tendency for groups to feel a bit superior when a different group is taken to task, I invite everybody to pick up a mirror, to look in the mirror and to reflect for a moment.  The best place to end this sermon is with the last verse I read today.  I tell you, my hearers, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.  God is asking us to love the bigots - somehow - to love those who discriminate and exclude people. And God is saying, “For God’s sake love yourself.”

Notes

[1] “Bixby Knolls Christian Church” (Long Beach, California)  Facebook.  29 January 2019, 16 Feb 2019.  <https://www.facebook.com/bixbyknollschurch/>. [2] Spiros Zodhiates.  The Complete Word Study Dictionary:  New Testament.  (Chattanooga, TN:  AMB Pub., 1992), 937. [3] Christian Community Bible:  Catholic Pastoral Edition.  (Quezon City, Philippines:  Claretian Pub., 1999), NT, 139. [4] Christian Community Bible, NT, 139. [5] Zodhiates, 1198. [6]Christian Community Bible, NT, 139. [7] Earl D. Radmacher, et. al., eds.  The Nelson Study Bible:  New King James Version.  (Nashville:  Thomas Nelson Pub., 1997), 1702.

[deweybertolini]

A Not-So-Trivial Pursuit

I’m so glad that God created a thing called “next week.” Because last week, there was a glaring omission in our discussion. One that we address in this week’s PODCAST. And in addressing it, we will once again see and hear the beautiful heart of a gentle Jesus. Thank you for listening, and for sharing this message!!! Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it…

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lofi hip hop beats to excommunicate to

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Trapped in this Body Tour 2016

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Rabit - 'Excommunicate' 50 copies

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