The Look of Love - Sermon from July 2, 2023

Note: This was my first sermon at Lebanon UMC on July 2, 2023.

Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:15

Introduction

Today is about beginnings. In our epistle lesson, we read from the fifth chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. After describing the brokenness of all people and the covenant of faith made through Abraham, Paul begins to talk about how we experience and live into a new life.

In our Gospel lesson Jesus is beginning his ministry. He begins by calling his disciples. We begin to see the path of discipleship. We see how Jesus models ministry for them and then teaches them what they need to know to take part in this ministry. This is the plan of Jesus for evangelizing the world. He calls and trains his disciples for this ministry. He makes disciples who are expected to make more disciples.

Our Text from Romans

Paul talks about how we stand in a new relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Let’s back up a bit to get to where today’s lesson starts. Paul begins his letter by talking about our sinfulness. He first describes the sinfulness of the Gentiles, and then he covers his own Jewish people. The point of these first few chapters isn’t to make a list of sins. You cannot create a kind of inventory of sin to check on your own state of being.

No, the point Paul is making is about the brokenness of humanity. He is saying we are all broken. Surely you all are familiar with what Jesus calls the greatest commandments. You must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

We are to (1) Love God, and (2) Love People. So, when Paul talks about the brokenness of humanity he is basically talking about broken relationships. In other words, what we call sin is all about our broken relationship with God and our broken relationships with people.

The Old Testament prophets certainly understood this. They described the failure of Israel to properly worship God. Their sacrifices were corrupt. They polluted their worship with the introduction of other gods and goddesses. They also failed to love their neighbors. Specifically, they failed the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, and the foreigners in their midst. The prophets describe the brokenness of Israel. Their relationship with God was broken and their relationships with people were broken.

So, when we talk about sin, we talk about the brokenness of our vertical and our horizontal relationships. That is what sin is. Jesus came that these relationships may be healed. Paul tells us that “when we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. … God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Rom 5:6,8 NLT)

Paul tells us that we now stand in a new relationship with God. We are used to hearing this as being “justified by faith.” (Rom 5:1 NRSVue) The New Living Translation says that “we have been made right in God’s sight by faith.” Or it could also be understood that our faith, our trust, is placed in the faithfulness of Jesus. By his faithfulness we are made righteous. (CEB)

The peace we have is in this place of privilege where we stand because of Jesus. Now, while think of the gift of Justification as a one and done gift, the New Birth we experience is an ongoing, day by day, living in a new relationship to God and Neighbor. Day by day we allow ourselves to be led by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This Sanctification, this growing in holiness, is something we will address more in the weeks ahead. For our purposes today, know that this is a new life where we walk side by side with Jesus as he teaches us how to love God properly and how to properly love our neighbors, the people God has placed in our lives.

So now, let us turn to our Gospel lesson to learn more about this love.

The Gospel Text

Jesus is travelling from town-to-town teaching and healing. As he does so people begin to follow him about. People begin to gather in crowds to be able to see this Jesus and to hear him. Some become his disciples. They follow Jesus watching and learning from him.

Because there are so many, Jesus decides to choose twelve of the disciples to be the people he will invest his life in. Matthew gives us a list of the names of the Twelve. While Jesus models ministry for them, he teaches them what they need to know. Then he gives them the authority to do this ministry and commissions them to continue this work.

If we are to follow Jesus, we must learn to see the world and others with the eyes of Jesus. Notice how our Gospel lesson tells us that Jesus saw the crowds and he had compassion for them. Why? They were troubled and helpless, “like sheep without a shepherd.” (vs 36)

Now Jesus not only saw crowds, he also saw individuals. He called them by name. So, this is our first lesson in walking the path of a disciple.

We must learn to recognize the crowds for who they are and to see their hurts. Too often we go into our communities, our stores, our schools, and the crowds can become faceless and anonymous. We must recognize people for who they are. They are people with sickness and disease. They are troubled and harassed. They are as helpless as sheep without a shepherd.

We then approach people, one on one, and get to know them, or to know them better. We can call their names and we can invite them into community — into fellowship — with Jesus and his disciples.

To look with love is so vital and so neglected. There are people who identify as Christian who spew hateful language at others. They attack others with their words, their looks, and their social media accounts. They love to tell others how to live —- no, demand that others live their lives as they do. When some of the most hateful people you see around you or on television say they are Christians they are liars. They neither love God, nor their neighbors. John writes in his first letter, “Those who say, ‘I love God’ and hate their brothers or sisters are liars. After all, those who don’t love their brothers or sisters whom they have seen can hardly love God whom they have not seen!” (1 Jn 4:20 CEB)

We are called to be different. We are called to look with love, with compassion. We aren’t called to change people so that we can love them or so that God can love them. Absolutely not! God already loves them as he loves us — while we were sinners God sent his son, Jesus, to die for us. That is the proof of God’s love. His love is unconditional.

So, if we are to love God, we must also learn to love people the way God loves people. James, the brother of Jesus, writes in his letter, “let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, for human anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” (Jas 1:19-20, NRSVue)

It is not by anger that people will turn to Christ.
     No, it is by love.
          This is the Jesus way.
          This is the disciple’s way.
          This is to be our way.

Called to Be Disciples — Sent as Disciples

So, here we are.

We have heard the call of Jesus to be his disciples — to take up our cross and follow him. We have been chosen by Jesus, to learn from him, walking by his side.

Now we are commissioned by Jesus to go into the world. Here is how it is described by Matthew.

First, we are to travel lightly. We are not to carry encumbrances that would only get in the way.

Second, we look for persons of peace. Mark gives us the example of Levi.

¹³ Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. ¹⁴ As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

¹⁵ And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mk 2:13-17 NRSVue)

Third, we are to accept the hospitality of others. Consider Paul’s acceptance of Lydia’s hospitality.

¹³ On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.
(Acts 16:13-15 NRSVue)

Conclusions and Invitation

So, what do we learn from all of this. What are we to take away, and what are we to do with it?

We learn from Paul in Romans, and from our Gospel lesson what sin is about. It is about brokenness. We have a broken relationship with God and broken relationships with people — our neighbors.

Relationships are not healed by anger or outrage. They are healed by love.

If we are to do what Jesus calls us to do, we must learn to love they way Jesus loves — the way he loves the Father and the way he loves the people of the world. He is sent by the Father’s love and Jesus is Love incarnate.

As the church, we are the body of Christ. That means we are meant to live as the embodiment of God’s love directed at a world filled with brokenness.

This starts with us first getting right with God. But it also means we must get right with our neighbor.

This is God’s call to us today.

Accept this free gift offered to us without price except for the price paid by Jesus.

Respond to the call of Jesus, to go in his authority to announce the good news of the Kingdom of God.

There is the invitation.

Will you accept?