Bless Everyone Around Me So They Have Everything They Need; Matthew 6:1-8

 

Rev. George Miller

January 29, 2023

Matthew 6:1-8

 

A confession- prayer and I have a complex history.  To this day I do not truly understand how it works, how it’s done or why we do it.

 

Talking to God I get, but this concept of starting your day with prayer or getting on your knees, bending your head- NOPE.

 

Praying in public used to be my discomfort zone.

 

Back in the 1990’s, while attending Grace Temple Deliverance Church, they’d call me up to pray from time to time. 

 

It was a black Pentecostal church.  I thought the only way to pray was the Black Pentecostal way.

 

One day, I tried to pray like Sister Celia.  It was an embarrassment for all- it wasn’t authentic; it wasn’t me.

 

Do you know where I finally faced my fear of public prayer? 

 

Back Bay Mission, 2022.  It was a class in which we were required to lead vespers and offer prayer.

 

I’m more at ease with prayer now, but when someone at the Pantry asks “Pastor, can you pray for me?”  I freeze up; don’t know what to say. 

 

Do they want my words to work like a magic stick, solving all their problems?

 

Then there’s this whole thing about public prayer from Jesus.  Don’t be too wordy.  Don’t put on a show.  Don’t pray for attention.

 

Clearly, many of us pastors haven’t paid attention to this teaching.

 

Go to any County Commissioner Meeting, National Prayer event, you just KNOW that whoever’s giving the invocation is going to give you their best, most perfect, inspiring, loonnngggg  prayer ever.

 

Yet that’s not what Jesus says to do.  It’s not that Jesus is against corporal prayer; he’s not against prayer in religious settings.

 

Jesus prayed in public all the time.  Nearly everything he did was in public view and public earshot.

 

Perhaps what he is trying to say is like his statement about the Law-

 

What is the spirit, the intent of the prayer?  WHY are you praying, who is the prayer for, who is it about?

 

Do we pray because we want people to say “What a wonderful Christian you are!”?

 

Or should prayer make folk think “What a loving, merciful God we serve!” 

 

Do we pray because it makes us look holy OR do we pray because God is holy?

 

D0 we pray so others can hear how good we sound OR do we pray so others around us can hear just how good God is?

 

And what do we pray?

 

Years ago a scholar wrote that there are really only two kinds of prayers- “Help help help” and “Thank you thank you thank you.”

 

Don’t you like that?

 

The days life gets rough, “Help help help” is all I can muster… and yet still, those simple words seem so hard to say.

 

…Prayer and I have a complex history.  To this day I don’t truly understand how prayer works, how it’s done or why we do it.

 

It’s been said that “help, help, help” and “thank you thank you thank you” are almost all we need.

 

But before we end today’s message, there is another prayer.

 

On March 1, 2022, the gospel group Maverick City with Kirk Franklin went to the Everglades Correctional Institution in Miami.

 

They put on a concert for 1,300 incarcerated people; the largest prison event in American history.

 

One song they recorded with the inmates is called “Bless Me.” 

 

Part of the lyrics go “Bless me, bless me, bless me God indeed…

 

“Bless me, bless, God,

Not just for me.

But so everyone around me

Can have everything they need.

 

“Let all the folks that’s with me, God, have everything they need.”

 

Isn’t that amazing? 

 

Men, women, black, Asian, Hispanic, white, old, young, all asking God to bless them and to bless everyone around them.

 

Jesus is probably fine with 1,300 women and men of every race and age singing such a prayer together.

 

Prayer is complex.

Prayer is simple.

 

Prayer is beautiful.

Prayer is personal.

 

At the end of the day,

Help help help

Thank you thank you thank you

 

Bless me bless me.

 

Let all the folks that’s with me God,

Have everything they need.

 

Amen.

 

(excerpt of “Bless Me” is shown.)

The Law of Blessedness, Love, Fulfillment & Welcome; Matthew 5:17-20

 

Rev. George Miller

Jan 22, 2023

Matthew 5:17-20

 

Today’s scripture is difficult. Some scholars wonder if Jesus said this. 

 

Some think Jesus is being snarky, making fun of overly anal religious leaders who’d rather say than ‘do.’

 

What exactly is the point that Jesus is trying to make?

 

To attempt an understanding, we look at this in the context of what’s come before and will come after.

 

After Jesus is tempted, he calls his 1^st disciples, gives a few sermons, heals many folk, and develops a fan base that follows him around.

 

He goes up a mountain, is joined by the disciples, begins to speak-  “Blessed…”

 

“Blessed are you with broken spirits and wounded hearts.  You have a place in God’s Kingdom.”

 

“Blessed,” Jesus says to this group of fishermen and net menders.

 

“Blessed are you whose hearts are heavy with sadness.  It is the very essence of God to give you comfort.”

 

“Blessed,” Jesus says to these brothers and sons who have worked long hours on rough seas and under the scorching sun.

 

“Blessed are you who walk softly and live humbly.  For the sky, the sea, the land will always be your home.”

 

“Blessed is anyone who hungers for what is just, what is kind; they will feel fulfilled and satisfied.”

 

Blessed, blessed, blessed.  These are not the words of man who has it all.  These are not the words of a man born in a royal court or the heiress of a hotel corporation.

 

These are the words of a man who was born under controversy and hunted by a king, someone who was famished in the wilderness, spent days surrounded by the sick.

 

The fact that he has the audacity to call anyone blessed is beyond all reason.  Yet he does.

 

“Blessed are you who are merciful to others.  Blessed are you who have a pure heart.”

 

“Blessed are you who find a way to make peace when the rest of the world shouts ‘war!’.  Blessed are you who are hated for doing what is right.”

 

This stirring speech goes against all logic.  Who feels blessed when their eyes fill with tears?

 

Who feels blessed when human rights are stripped away?  Blessed when they are lied about?

 

Maybe, there is another way to understand what Jesus is saying.  Maybe there’s another word besides “blessed”; another phrase we can use to understand.

 

What if the word is…loved?  It would sound like this-

 

“Loved are you who are dealing with a broken spirit.  God’s heart has a place for you.”

 

“Loved are you who lost a loved one or worry about your husband, your daughter, your friend.  God is ready to hug you.”

 

“Loved are you when you don’t let your ego get in the way and you care about others.  God’s nahalah is ready for you.”

 

What if instead of “blessed” the word is “fulfilled.”

 

“Fulfilled are you who do justice.  God’s table is open to feed you.”

 

“Fulfilled are those who love kindness. The concern you show for others will come back to you.”

 

“Fulfilled are those who have the heart of a child, God can’t wait to see you.”

 

What if instead of “blessed,” the word is “welcome”?

 

“Welcome are you who do any thing, any time, to bring peace into creation.  You are God’s Children.”

 

“Welcome are you who have been tormented, teased, abused, mistreated, targeted, and lied about.  For everything you see from the floor to the ceilings, the sky to the earth, is yours.”

 

Blessed.  Loved. Fulfilled.  Welcome. 

 

Are these not the very things every one of us long for?

 

Aren’t these the very things Jesus embodied throughout his ministry?

 

Blessedness, love, fulfillment, welcoming and being welcomed- aren’t these the very ingredients of the Law and the Commandments?

 

When we slash away all the legalistic sounding rules, and slash away all that sounds more man-made than God inspired,  

 

when we slash away the worries over mildew or polyester blends,

 

isn’t it fair to say that what the Law and the 10 Commandments are really about is –

 

love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

 

As Jesus says in Matthew 22:40- “On these 2 commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

 

If Jesus says that love God with your entire being, and love your fellow human beings are the very essence, the very key to the Law….

 

It makes sense that Jesus isn’t trying to erase the Law, discard the Law, or dismiss the wisdom of the elders who came before.

 

Perhaps Jesus is saying “I have come to embody what the Law is about; to show what it looks like when you live a life inspired by the Spirit of the Commandments.”

 

Perhaps Jesus is saying “All those words you see written on pieces of parchment are ready to become a living, breathing reality.  Join me.”

 

If the Law is about loving God and loving neighbor, then the Law is about blessedness, love, fulfillment,  and welcome.

 

And since Jesus is ready to fulfill the Law, to show it in action, we are going to witness what love, fulfillment, and welcome look like.

 

Today’s reading feels confusing, but when heard through the ears of Heaven, perhaps it is simply Jesus saying “It’s time to put down the instruction manual; let’s put what you learned into action.”

 

Perhaps Jesus is saying “It’s time to put away your study notes, let’s see you live what you have learned, do what you know, show what blessedness, love, fulfillment and welcome actually look like.”

 

What we have is the chance to walk with Jesus, to see what he does, hear what he says, and to experience what it looks like when the Kingdom of God is at hand.

 

Let us walk with Christ on the path before us.  May we feel the earth, wind, rain, sea celebrating as we take this journey together.

 

May we truly know, and truly live, as though we are indeed blessed, loved, fulfilled, and welcome.

 

Amen and amen.

When Whispered in the Ear...; Matthew 4:1-17

 

Rev. George Miller

Jan 15, 2023

Matthew 4:1-17

 

Today is a fantastical reading that deals with the concept of identity- who is Jesus, and who does Jesus answer too?

 

Is Jesus someone who will crack under the threat of scarcity?

 

Is Jesus someone who will twist Scripture for his own benefit?

 

Is Jesus simply in it for the power or will he use his power for the betterment of God’s Kingdom?

 

In essence, Jesus’ temptation is the story of anyone who finds themself living a life of faith, anyone who discovers they are a Child of God, and anyone who has the awesome honor to play a role in God’s ministry.

 

Following Matthew’s narrative, Jesus has just been baptized by John.  A voice from the heavens declares that “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

But before Jesus starts his religious reformation, before he puts together his team, before he teaches his 1^st lesson or performs his 1^st miracle, he is led into the wilderness, where is he alone,

without, and he is most vulnerable.

 

Often, it is when we are secluded, when we are separated, when we are hungry, thirsty, dwelling in the scariness of scarcity that we are the most vulnerable, most likely to make poor decisions, most likely to believe what others say.

 

So evil uses what evil can to tempt Jesus.

 

Since there is no cell phone, email, no Facebook, Twitter, or FOX News, Evil does what it can- it whispers into Jesus’ ear.

 

So- you’re the Son?

So- you’re the Beloved?

So- God has smiled upon you?

 

Show us what it means to be the Son.  Show us what you do with your title as the Beloved.  Show us how you cash in the chips of being your Father’s Son.

 

As Jesus is alone, in a very lonely place, evil tempts him with the same things his Israelite ancestors were tempted with after they crossed their own set of water.

 

In Exodus 16, the Israelites complain to God because they are hungry, wishing they could go back to being slaves. 

 

God sends them bread from heaven and quail in abundance, but still they did not trust the Lord.

 

Evil uses this experience to see if Jesus too would fail to trust the Lord, but Jesus stays strong, not giving into the trickster’s way.

 

In Exodus 17, with all the bread and meat they can want, the Israelites now quarrel with Moses, complain, question God like a test.  “Why have we been set free if we are thirsty?  Does God actually care?  Is God even with us?”

 

God works through Moses and the elders to provide them with drink, but their quarreling, questioning leaves a bitter memory behind.

 

Evil uses this experience to test Jesus a second time.  “Jump, and let’s see if God will catch you.”

 

Jesus says “I refuse to bend and twist scripture to meet your needs.  I am accountable to God, not your warped sense of theology.”

 

Exodus 32, when Moses is meeting with God on the mountain, receiving the commandments, the Israelites become confused, creating a golden idol to worship.

 

Evil uses this story to see if Jesus is really about the glory of God or seeking the glory for himself.

 

“All that you see will be yours if you just bow down and worship me.”  But Jesus does not bend, he does not break.  He knows who he is- the Beloved Child of God.

 

Jesus uses Scripture for good- “Worship God and be accountable only to the Creator.”

 

3 times Jesus is tested with the same tests that were experienced by the Israelites in the dessert.  All 3 times Jesus succeeds, stays true to who he is, remains PURE in his faith, PURE in his knowledge of who God is, and stays PURE in his understanding of who he is.

 

Jesus is unmoved, unshakeable, and not corruptible.

 

It is then, with his identity firmly established, that his time in the wilderness comes to an end, and his public ministry begins.

 

This fantastical, surreal, almost ALICE IN WONDERLAND experience affirms his identity- Jesus is the called to go where the people of God dwell. 

 

His identity is the feeding, healing, teaching role of the Heavenly Servant who’s come for all.

 

Though we may question if this story really happened, or question the concept of evil, and Satan, this story makes it very clear-

 

As God’s Beloved Son, the one who makes God Smile, Jesus is a force to be reckoned with.  He will not be separated from God due to distractions, slander of scripture, or the promises of popularity.

 

Jesus will be the Beloved One who trusts God, even when it leads to a cross, even when others abuse their faith, even when he can take the easy, trouble-free route.

 

Who is Jesus? 

 

Jesus is the one who knows what it is like to be alone, what it is like to be without, what it is like to be hungry, thirsty, vulnerable.

 

Jesus is the one who knows what it is like to have evil whisper in your ear, to have seeds of doubt scattered around you, to be bedazzled by much reward with little sacrifice.

 

In other words, Jesus knows now what it is like to be us, to be human, to feel weak, to be tempted into taking the easy way out.

 

This makes Jesus an even greater Savior, an even more powerful Messiah, because it means that whatever we go through, whatever we face, whatever has been whispered in our ear, Jesus has had that happen too.  And he shows us how to be exactly who we are-

 

Beloved, Children of God, and the Ones Who Make our Creator Smile.

 

For that, we can say “Amen.”