February 5: Fifth Sunday in Epiphany

Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Matthew 5:13-20

Do you remember last Sunday?  No matter; the message remains the same.

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? . . . If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” 

Here’s a dilemma: how to name what others do without “pointing the finger”?  Our Covenant Companions spent the last two months on a theological reflection on judgment.  Are we to judge, or not?  How are we to judge?  What’s the difference between being judgmental and being discerning?  It was a powerful conversation.

For me, part of the answer is humility.  If I point at you without acknowledging where I share those faults and sins, I’m contributing to the chaos.  That is when I “speak evil.”  I need to be clear that I share the temptations of others; I need to call myself to repent as well as you.

But if I fail to name what is in front of me for fear of being “found to be a sinner,” I’m also lacking in humility.  I’m trying to hide my faults by hiding my judgment, and in doing so I hide my light (Matthew 5:14).  Letting my light shine means letting all of me be seen, good and bad, in the service of the true Light.  Hiding my light means getting in the way of God’s plan and choosing the darkness.  And we can’t afford that.  I can’t afford that.

Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it through love of God and neighbor.  In these days of finger pointing, evil speaking, and oppression and injustice, we need to be able to name what we see without letting ourselves off the hook.  Current events in the US have deep roots in our national history, and they are not new in the history of humans.  We are all in this.  Those of us who are looking for the light have our agenda before us.  

Remove the yoke where you find it.  

Offer food, and satisfy the needs of the afflicted.

Stop pointing and speaking evil - but do name injustice and oppression, as our common inheritance.

Donald Trump wants to make America great again.  I want it to be great for the first time, more deeply than ever before.  I don’t believe his path leads to greatness; as Paul says, the wisdom of God is foolishness to the rulers of this age.  So I will stand in God’s wisdom, with the crucified Lord of glory.  

Where will you stand?