How Do We Know What & Who to Believe?

SERMON:  June 29^th 2014   Proper 8 , Pentecost 3, Jer. 28:5-9, Matt 10:40-2 

Jeremiah

“Prophets, True Prophets & False Prophets”.             By the Rev. Laura Adelia

How do we know what & who to believe?  Especially when two very different messages sound equally true?  And when the persons speaking have all the credentials that would lead us to believe that they are trustworthy?

A few weeks ago I spoke about a group of clergy, deacons and the diaconate.  The scripture readings for today in Jeremiah and in the gospel talk about prophets.    Prophets were one of the clergy in ancient biblical times, there was the priesthood, the scribes and the prophets. 

Now, we know the Bible has many stories of the prophets.   Who are some of your favorite Biblical prophets?  [Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah…] 

And, not to be outdone, there were female prophets too; Sarah (wife of

Deborah

Abraham), Miriam (sister of Moses), Deborah (warrior, judge & prophet) in the book of Judges…she was pretty cool!  And then there was Hannah (mother of Samuel), and Esther…to name a few.

So, first of all, what is a prophet exactly?    How come prophets seem to have only been around a long time ago? 

I mean, it seems we just don’t see many prophets today, or go into as a “career field”.  People don’t go to seminary, earn a Master of Divinity degree and get ordained to be prophets, or get hired by churches as “prophets”. 

Don't we have prophets of today?  Of course we do.  They just are not as visible as they were in ancient biblical times.

So, what is a prophet exactly?  Well, a prophet is a person who has been contacted by the supernatural, or the divine, and speaks for the divine.  A prophet serves as an intermediary between humanity and God. God chooses them.

A prophet’s message tries to promote change in their society for the better, such as to wake up people to ethics, such as to help the poor, and other social justice issues.  Sometimes they gave warnings about impending war or famine or other not so good news…

A prophet’s life was / is not an easy one.  And many times they were / are not received well. They were targets of persecution and opposition.  A case of shoot the messenger, if you will…especially when the people received news they did not want to hear. 

And just like today, where one doctor says this, and another doctor says that, or a journalist or politician says this, and another says that……Different prophets of the same era gave people conflicting messages.  Such as was the case here in the OT reading in the book of Jeremiah.    And they wondered the same thing….who to believe?

Here, Jeremiah is talking to the priests in the Temple, and to another prophet named Hananiah.

The situation:  It was the 6^th century BC, and Babylon was threatening the kingdom of Israel.  The northern parts of Israel had already been overtaken by the Assyrians. 

Jeremiah was prophesying “Warning!, Red Alert!  War!  Pestilence, famine, exile!    Hananiah prophesied, “No need to worry, all will be well, there would be peace.  Relax!”

Who to believe?

The people naturally wanted to believe good news, & believe there would be peace.  No one wanted to worry about war…

So, no one is listening to Jeremiah, no matter what he says.  He speaks, he waves his arms, he jumps up and down, and still, no one listens.   So, he puts on an oxen yoke, and walks around with it on to dramatize his message.   Now that got people’ attention!

How do we know who, or what to believe?    Yes we have this dilemma today, and right here in our own lives.  One person says this, another says that.  Both have credentials and are respected.  Who, or what to believe?

And we know from what happened in history, that it was Jeremiah that was the true prophet, even though he did give a message of not so good news.  And it was Hananiah, that was the false prophet, even though he gave a message of peace. 

The spiritual lessons… be aware of “feel good” prophecies.  And, be aware of false prophets….

Do we have prophets around today?   Well, we may not see prophets today like they existed back in Jeremiah’s day, or be as “visible” as they were in ancient Israel, but there are prophets today.   People who dare to speak the truth, though unpopular the truth may be.

Who are some of our modern day prophets?  Who are the prophets of today?

[Gandhi?  Mother Theresa?  Martin Luther King Jr.?  Who else?]

  

And what about false prophets?  Do we have false prophets today?

Of course we do. 

They can be difficult to “see”.  But I think the lesson still hold true to this day, be aware of ‘feel good” prophecy,  of don’t worry, relax, everything will be OK!’ 

Not that we should be worrying all the time, but what we need to be is AWARE.

Or as another source I read stated, be aware of the “prosperity gospel”, the gospel of success & abundance.  That enough faith and prayer and living a “good Christian life” will lead to financial security and success.  That is if you “name it”, and “claim it”, it will become so!

And then there are those that take on a cult leader type status.  I am sure many come to mind.  And many times, things lead to tragic deaths and other horrible things.

Yes, very tragic, very sad.

Others tend to hide or cloak themselves in political ideologies, and sling fear and blame…  “Those conservatives!”, “Those liberals!”,  “Those Republicans!”, “Those Democrats!”…. those, those, those…

But God is a God of love & does not polarize. 

Yes false prophets can easily deceive us. 

How can we discern false prophets?

Writer Christian Piatt notices some major traits of “false prophets”.

1.  First, they claim false authority.  They claim to have access to information you can’t otherwise access without them.  And usually for a hefty fee.   

2.  False Hope.  They preach “pray hard enough” or send in your check and you can rest assured. 

3.  False Gospel.    This is also known as “good news” hucksterism.  Your life can be so much more fulfilling if you just …. (fill in the blank).  Chasing rainbows…

4.  False Healing.  A temporary sense of fulfillment that comes from throwing oneself completely into the illusion that this person can give you everything you want or need. There's an adrenaline rush.  But soon the good feelings fade and you're still you in the end, with all the same longings, scars and imperfections.

A true prophet is a truth-teller, one who sees and names things for what they really are, not for what we want them to be. They're often unpopular for their claims, because they challenge the false constructs of a culture or society that that tries to distract itself from dealing with its real issues. But even if the truths such prophets claim aren't necessary pleasant, they do present an opportunity for awakening.

Yes, awakening.  On many levels.

And so I ask you, what things might we need to awaken to, that we may have been avoiding, or not wanting to hear? 

Let us pray,

Guide us and direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

[Sermon given at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, June 29, 2014]

Sermon - "Violence Begets Violence Sevenfold"

SERMON:  June 22, 2014    Proper 7,      2^nd Sunday after Pentecost.          

Jer.  20:7-13, Psalm 69, Romans 6:1-11, Matthew 10:24-39  The Rev. Laura Adelia, Vicar     

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you,  O Lord, my rock and my redeemer…”

To get a discussion going, I used to ask my students in my Religions of the World classes at Mesa College, “With all the wars and acts of violence done in the name of religion, or someone’s god, does religion do more harm than good?”

And it was always interesting to see where the discussions would go.  In some classes, the majority of the students would conclude ‘yes, religion does do more harm than good’.  In other classes, students did not blame religion, but rather people and the violent nature of humanity. 

And what does the Bible say about this?  Violence, that is.

Many have the perception that the Old Testament is full of violence.  Yes, we are familiar with “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”  “Violence begets violence …sevenfold.”  “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord”…

An NCO friend of mine decided to really read the bible.  And really read it, she did!  She commented after reading the first few books of the OT, “Holy cow! Rapes, murders, wars, genocide, affairs, revenge, this is the BIBLE? 

In comparison, we tend to view the New Testament as much more peaceful.  But is it really? 

The New Testament does have violent stories & passages. For example, in John’s gospel, Jesus tips over tables of the money changers in the Temple and chases them out with a whip made of chords!  In Mark and Matthews gospels, Jesus curses a fig tree when it does not have any fruit for him to eat, and the poor tree withers & dies on the spot! 

And then there’s that troublesome Gospel passage we just heard in today’s reading, where Jesus says,  "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword…”

And it doesn’t stop there.  Jesus goes on to say, "For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household….”

What are we to think?    What did Jesus mean by this?

Talking about violence makes us all uncomfortable.   I noticed so many biblical scholars and preachers tend to avoid this perplexing passage.  And no wonder, it is not easy preaching on violence!  How much easier it would be to preach on a happier, more peaceful topic with little humorous anecdotes here and there to make you smile & chuckle! 

But it was this passage that tugged at me.  Perhaps it is all the recent events in the news.   It makes me wonder, why are we humans by nature, violent?  

And so, because I found no satisfactory answers in my theological and biblical resources, I explored other sources, & I found a few very thought provoking and interesting articles on this topic.

Author, minister & blog writer Mel Lawerenz comments that much of the media coverage of violent acts tend to center on surface issues and hardly get at the root cause, or causes of violence. He challenges us to contemplate the deeper aspects of violence.  The roots.  

So what does the Bible say about violence, at its roots?

Right at the very beginning, in the book of Genesis we have violence, Cain murders his brother Abel.  God’s tells Cain: “your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground!” 

Why did Cain kill his brother?  He was jealous.  His jealousy and resentment turned to rage and hate…which led to an act of intense violence.  

Violence does not begin with huge armies, generational ethnic hatred, & or longstanding social inequities.    It begins right inside us, in our own hearts.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders (or is angry) will be subject to judgment.’ ….”  Matt. 5:21-22

It begins with bad feelings, holding onto negative emotions like jealousy, resentment, envy, anger, rage, revenge, and so forth, that plant the seed.

And then there is this important teaching, again from the Sermon on the Mount:

“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them…. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person’  

Yes violence—comes out of the human heart.

Jesus is a realist.  In our gospel reading for today, Jesus is addressing reality & harshness of the world, & human behavior.   He was sending his disciples out there, into the world, like sheep among wolves.  He was preparing them for what they would face, for it would not be easy.  

All of this is known as the cost of discipleship.  The very early Christians sometimes had to choose between their family, & their faith.  As we know, conversion to another faith causes much tension and conflict in families.   In fact, we still face this today!

How many of us have divisions in our own families based on religion and or differing beliefs?  

How many of us have fallen into this trap:  Someone says a mean-spirited or “snarky” comment to us, and we snap back.  It’s a knee jerk reaction.  Intellectually and rationally, we know this doesn’t really resolve anything, but we have fallen victim to our emotions.  And as we know, these situations can easily escalate and spiral out of control into a yelling match, and more…

Violence begets violence. 

Is the Old Testament really violent?  Perhaps it is not that it, the Bible in itself that is violent, or teaches violence.  As we know, it tells stories of generations and generations, of two, three & four thousand years ago.   And unlike many stories told today, it tells stories “straight up”, with no euphemisms.  It does not tiptoe around controversial issues or taboos, it just tells it like it is!

It is, in all actuality after all, the story of us. Humanity.  And that includes violence.

“I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” said Jesus.  But Christ does not bring false peace. Old Testament prophets, like Jeremiah complained of people who say “peace, peace, where there is really no peace.” (Jer. 6:14). 

What passes under the name of peace is often only a mask, a false peace.  Wars and winning wars is an example.  Just look at WWI when it ended.  The Great War may have been won by the Central Powers, but the deeper issues were never really resolved.  For twenty years later, another world war erupted. 

The passage in Genesis where God says anyone who avenges Cain will be avenged sevenfold is stating a maxim, a truth.  For violence only begets more violence.  And violence never really solves anything.

It is sad truth that yes, we live in a violent world.  Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he said, "…I have not come to bring peace, but a sword…”

Jesus does not bring a false peace.  The sword of Jesus, is a metaphor for true peace.  The light and love of Christ, is the sword of Christ.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Let us pray ….

‘Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God; to whom be the glory, now and for ever.’ 

 Amen.

[Sermon given at St. peter's Episcopal Church, Casa Grande, AZ on June 22, 2014 by the Rev. Laura Adelia, Vicar]

Technically challenged as I am, I have taken Rev. Laura's literal challenge and wanted to be the first to post on our blog. Just what is a blog anyway?
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