WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
March 11th 2007
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“A New Point of View”
2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
One of the major themes in the second letter to the church at Corinth is the conflict and tension between worldly wisdom and the radically inclusive nature of God’s grace. In our passage, the community in Corinth is challenged to see the world, and one another, in new ways. It is an appeal to the community to live out the mission of reconciliation by viewing the world through the lens of Jesus Christ. From now on, they are told, regard no one from an earthly point of view.
This appeal was an invitation to see the world and other people through a new point of view. This is not easy task because the worldview of that community was well defined. It was a worldview which elevated; Jews over gentiles, Men over Women, Free people over Slaves, and Roman citizens above all others. In the face of this well defined world, the writer of the letter says bluntly: if we are in Christ, we are to regard no one from an earthly point of view. It means that the well defined worldview is no longer acceptable for followers of Jesus.
The heart of the message is the ministry of reconciliation. Reconciliation, we are told, begins with God through Christ, and is extended to all people. It is the ministry to which all followers in Christ are called. The core message in this passage is that; ministry is about being welcoming and welcoming others. Simply put; because we have been reconciled with God through Christ; we are called to be ambassadors of this reconciliation with other people.
While it is rather straightforward; it is a calling which always seems to stir up trouble. Seeing the world in new ways, and extending God’s extravagant welcome to all can and often does cause us to come into conflict with our well defined world. And whenever that happens it seems to draw the ire of others. This should come as no surprise since Jesus did the same throughout his life and work.
One of the places where Jesus seemed to attract the most negative attention had to do with the company he kept. It even caused Jesus to get a reputation of something of a glutton and a drunkard. In our Gospel reading, the Pharisees, the good religious folk, complain that Jesus ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ Jesus response to this charge is simply to tell a few parables about God’s radically inclusive love which even includes ‘tax collectors and sinners.’
The parable of the prodigal son is a story which is quite familiar. A father has two sons. The younger decides to take his share of the inheritance and ends spending all his resources. When he hits rock-bottom the son decides to return home. He hopes to return and live as a servant in a place he once called home. However, just as he is returning, his father sees him, runs to him, and throws the biggest, most extravagant, party imaginable. However, not everyone joins in the feast. The older son stands far off. He is angry, it seems, because he has been faithful and stayed behind and has never received this sort of welcome. Maybe, he even believes that instead of welcoming his brother, his father ought to punish him. When faced with the older brother’s rejection of his younger brother, their father goes to the older, self-righteous, son and reminds him that the extravagant welcome is available for both of them. Neither foolish living, nor faithful service is a prerequisite or hindrance to his love. It is a powerful and deep parable about the love of God for all her children.
However, there is no real worldly wisdom in this parable. Instead of everyone getting what they deserve, God’s extravagant love is extended to all God’s children. In the parable, Jesus points to a new way of seeing the world. This new point of view or perspective flies right in the face oc many of our religious and societal certitudes. In this parable, Jesus invites all to imagine the world in new ways, with new possibilities. Like the letter to the Corinthians, Jesus invites all to see the possibility of a world where the prodigals and the faithful are both loved and welcomed in the same household. That is what the reconciliation found in Christ is all about.
Being, in Christ, means that our well established world where; white people are valued over all other races, men are valued over women, rich are valued over poor, strait people over gay and lesbian, and American citizens over all other nationalities, is not part of God’s divine plan. And, the message to discard our human point of view means discarding these certainties. But we know too well that the natural tendency of Jesus followers is to claim these very divisions as part of God’s plan. However, the good news is that God is not finished with us yet. God still waits, expectantly, for our return from the places of our self-imposed exile and the places of our self-righteousness. May God grant us a new divine view of the world and other people that knows, really knows, that the great good news is this: God welcomes all God’s children as full partners in the household of faith. Amen.
March 11th 2007
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“A New Point of View”
2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
One of the major themes in the second letter to the church at Corinth is the conflict and tension between worldly wisdom and the radically inclusive nature of God’s grace. In our passage, the community in Corinth is challenged to see the world, and one another, in new ways. It is an appeal to the community to live out the mission of reconciliation by viewing the world through the lens of Jesus Christ. From now on, they are told, regard no one from an earthly point of view.
This appeal was an invitation to see the world and other people through a new point of view. This is not easy task because the worldview of that community was well defined. It was a worldview which elevated; Jews over gentiles, Men over Women, Free people over Slaves, and Roman citizens above all others. In the face of this well defined world, the writer of the letter says bluntly: if we are in Christ, we are to regard no one from an earthly point of view. It means that the well defined worldview is no longer acceptable for followers of Jesus.
The heart of the message is the ministry of reconciliation. Reconciliation, we are told, begins with God through Christ, and is extended to all people. It is the ministry to which all followers in Christ are called. The core message in this passage is that; ministry is about being welcoming and welcoming others. Simply put; because we have been reconciled with God through Christ; we are called to be ambassadors of this reconciliation with other people.
While it is rather straightforward; it is a calling which always seems to stir up trouble. Seeing the world in new ways, and extending God’s extravagant welcome to all can and often does cause us to come into conflict with our well defined world. And whenever that happens it seems to draw the ire of others. This should come as no surprise since Jesus did the same throughout his life and work.
One of the places where Jesus seemed to attract the most negative attention had to do with the company he kept. It even caused Jesus to get a reputation of something of a glutton and a drunkard. In our Gospel reading, the Pharisees, the good religious folk, complain that Jesus ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ Jesus response to this charge is simply to tell a few parables about God’s radically inclusive love which even includes ‘tax collectors and sinners.’
The parable of the prodigal son is a story which is quite familiar. A father has two sons. The younger decides to take his share of the inheritance and ends spending all his resources. When he hits rock-bottom the son decides to return home. He hopes to return and live as a servant in a place he once called home. However, just as he is returning, his father sees him, runs to him, and throws the biggest, most extravagant, party imaginable. However, not everyone joins in the feast. The older son stands far off. He is angry, it seems, because he has been faithful and stayed behind and has never received this sort of welcome. Maybe, he even believes that instead of welcoming his brother, his father ought to punish him. When faced with the older brother’s rejection of his younger brother, their father goes to the older, self-righteous, son and reminds him that the extravagant welcome is available for both of them. Neither foolish living, nor faithful service is a prerequisite or hindrance to his love. It is a powerful and deep parable about the love of God for all her children.
However, there is no real worldly wisdom in this parable. Instead of everyone getting what they deserve, God’s extravagant love is extended to all God’s children. In the parable, Jesus points to a new way of seeing the world. This new point of view or perspective flies right in the face oc many of our religious and societal certitudes. In this parable, Jesus invites all to imagine the world in new ways, with new possibilities. Like the letter to the Corinthians, Jesus invites all to see the possibility of a world where the prodigals and the faithful are both loved and welcomed in the same household. That is what the reconciliation found in Christ is all about.
Being, in Christ, means that our well established world where; white people are valued over all other races, men are valued over women, rich are valued over poor, strait people over gay and lesbian, and American citizens over all other nationalities, is not part of God’s divine plan. And, the message to discard our human point of view means discarding these certainties. But we know too well that the natural tendency of Jesus followers is to claim these very divisions as part of God’s plan. However, the good news is that God is not finished with us yet. God still waits, expectantly, for our return from the places of our self-imposed exile and the places of our self-righteousness. May God grant us a new divine view of the world and other people that knows, really knows, that the great good news is this: God welcomes all God’s children as full partners in the household of faith. Amen.
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