Crucible Moments A Sermon for Memorial Day Matthew 5:13-16

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Alexandra Gallagher
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1 Crucible Moments A Sermon for Memorial Day Matthew 5:13-16 Rev. Michael D. Halley May 28, 2017 Suffolk Christian Church Suffolk, Virginia Seventh Sunday of Easter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tomorrow we will pause to remember and honor all who have given their life in the service of our country. Those who died were on the front line: They loved their country and they served to preserve the freedoms and the goodness of what they believed was one nation under God. The challenges they faced continue today, of course. I am sure there were those who believed that the Great War, World War 2, was the war to end all wars. But as we know, that was not to be. We are still fighting other nations and other movements, hoping to gain peace for all. But I would like us to focus for just a few moments this morning on another war, a battle that seeks to divide us as a nation and which brings into sharp focus the question, What would Jesus do? Crucible moments 1, as the title of this sermon says, are those moments that can bring us as Christians to greater clarity and greater resolve and purer hearts and deeper unity. So, I have to ask, what does the church -- what do we Christians -- do in politically turbulent times? The tone of today s political discourse continues to deeply disturb me -- and perhaps you, as well. Families are divided. Old and dear friends, in many cases, are not able to discuss current political issues for fear of completely breaking their long-time relationship. We have hardened our political positions in such a way that we cannot allow for the possibility that anyone Page -1-

2 Page -2- from the other party might be right. Whether it is on the issue of abortion, immigration, the care of the poor and vulnerable among us, the role and dignity of women, or ethnic concerns, it appears we have hardened our positions in such a way that we no longer listen to each other with open minds and hearts. I continue to see in the social media, particularly on Facebook, language that demeans those who disagree, words that Jesus would never, ever, under any circumstances, use in speaking about another human being or anyone of a differing political opinion or position. Truthfully, it breaks my heart. It is a shame upon the body of Christ. I think when it comes to social comment in the public arena, we might want to adopt the advice of First Lady Nancy Reagan when she proclaimed, Just say no. These truly are crucible moments for you and me. A crucible is a severe test ; it is a situation in which we are influenced to develop our thinking 2. So let s do some thinking today and open our hearts and minds to God s Holy Spirit to come and speak to us. Those are some of the issues we face in this current national climate. The question for Christians is, What do we do now? Where do we go from here? First, I suggest that we uphold biblical values. St. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:20, But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that our ultimate allegiance is not to a political party or a political leader or any particular human government. Our allegiance and our deepest trust is in the Lord Jesus alone. Period. As Bible-believing Christians, we believe and proclaim the worth of every human being. Every human being, wherever they may have been born, whatever their gender may be, whatever their ethnicity, whatever their

3 Page -3- culture, whatever they believe, we proclaim their worth. We believe they, like us, bear the image of God, and we also believe that Jesus died for them just the same as Jesus died for you and me. As Christians, we believe the Bible when it says, in John 3:16, For God so loved the world... the Greek word meaning the inhabitants of the world, the human family 3. If God loves everyone, as we believe he does, then as God-followers we should be deeply concerned about justice and compassion and the welfare of the poor and disadvantaged among us. Zechariah (7:9-10) proclaimed, This is what the Lord Almighty said: Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other. This means that anyone who is a God-follower will have a heart like God, concerned for the most vulnerable among us, working for a just society. While we may disagree with specific policies, there are some bedrock things that we can come together on. We Christians can never say, I don t care about the poor; I just want policies that will enrich me. Although you and I may not know the right number of those who should be permitted to immigrate to our country, as a follower of Jesus, we can care about the stranger in our land and care deeply for the immigrants among us. This is especially critical in the case of those who follow the faith of Islam. God would have us extend the love of Jesus to the Muslim people and to work for their good. How can it be otherwise? So, how do we respond to this battle we are in, a battle to be authentic Christians and good citizens? Let me suggest three things. First, pray. Prayer is the life-blood for we Christians. It is as vital as our breath.

4 Page -4- Prayer changes things. It first changes us. Prayer is powerful. And always our prayer should be Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. Not my will, but God s. St. Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy and said, I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Interesting that Paul probably wrote this near the end of his life. He would be put to death by the very government he was telling us to pray for. The Bible never commands us to complain about our leaders or to defend them, but it says a lot about praying for them. Pray for our nation. Pray for our president and Congress every day. Pray for the media. Pray for people who feel vulnerable, especially the refugees of the world. And when you pray for refugees, remember that our Lord Jesus was also a refugee as a little boy, fleeing to escape persecution. We must do our best for those who are vulnerable. Let s go a step further with this suggestion to pray. Remember that Jesus said: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45). To demonstrate that you are serious in following Jesus command, why not pick out someone in the political realm with whom you disagree and don t like. To further demonstrate that you are serious, write their name in your Bible and pray for them on a regular basis. Then, love. As you may know, the Greek word agape is what we mean here. Agape is an unconditional love that transcends, that serves [others] regardless of circumstances 4. Agape seeks the highest good for the other. Agape does not mean you have to like the person, it means you always advocate and work for

5 Page -5- their good. For many of us, this kind of love does not come easy. So it will require lots of prayer and confession on our part to ask God to make us into the kind of person who can truly seek the good for others, even those we dislike and those with whom we disagree. Our world is desperate to see a community which is authentic, a community in which people are accepted as they are, a community where there is respect and consideration for others. There are enough political commentators, we don t need any within the Body of Christ. There was once a teacher who wanted to gather around him a group he could teach to follow him. Among those he chose there was a tax collector. In his world, tax collectors were very much hated. They collaborated with the occupying nation and often they cheated the people from whom they took the tax payments. Also among those he chose there was a zealot, who hated the occupying government and wanted to overthrow them. Somehow the tax collector and the zealot made peace with each other, even though their political views were exactly opposite. Matthew was the tax collector and Simon was the zealot. And Jesus was the teacher. Let s tone down the rhetoric, please. Let s respect each other. Let s leave political talk at the door. Let s be loving and polite and humble. Let s outdo each other in love. Let s work for the good of all, and not just a few. Let s let compassion be our guiding virtue.

6 Page -6- Why? Because Jesus would want us to do just that. Yes, tomorrow is Memorial Day. As we pay homage to those who gave their life, let s you and I commit ourselves to be authentic Christian servants working for the good of all. Amen. Tomorrow I pray you will make it to one of the Memorial Day observances to honor those who have fallen. If you cannot be there in person, please pause tomorrow at 3 pm 5 and take one minute in silent remembrance. Two Bell Ceremony Organist begins Eternal Father very softly. In days past, two bells (Ring twice) marked the end of the routine of the day aboard a ship. It was time for tattoo 6, and soon, taps would sound throughout the ship. As we commemorate this ancient tradition, we pause to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. The toll of the ship s bell reminds us of the reverence we owe to our departed sailors, marines, coast guardsmen, soldiers, and airmen... (Ring twice) To those who guard the honor of our nation, upon the sea, in the air, and on foreign soil... (Ring twice) Let this bell be a reminder of the faith they confide in us... (Ring twice) Let us who gather here not forget our own obligations... (Ring twice)

7 Page -7- [music stops] Taps And in silence, breathe a prayer for our fallen patriots... (Ring twice) After a pause, begin Eternal Father for the final hymn. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome! 1. This phrase comes from National Reflections, by John Ortberg, Christianity Today, 2. Crucible, 3. New American Standard Version (Strong s Edition), copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation, 4. See Agape, 5. The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans, wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day, to pause in an act of national unity for a

8 Page -8- duration of one minute. 6. Tattoo is sounded five minutes before taps onboard U. S. Navy ships.

3. Pray for first responders protection and safety. Isaiah 54:17 No weapon forged against you will prevail.

3. Pray for first responders protection and safety. Isaiah 54:17 No weapon forged against you will prevail. Ways to Pray 1. Give thanks to Jesus for those who often put their lives on the line for you and me. 1 Peter 4:11 If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things