Honest Fear Births God's Kingdom

In the late 1990s as I was finishing school and about to start in my first parish, I saw an interview where Oprah was interviewing the author De Becker and talking about his book, “The Gift of Fear.”  The book, still in print, has mixed reviews – and you can google it if you want to know more.   When I read the book I found it helpful because he addressed the importance of what many call ‘women’s intuition.’ The book addresses the socialization of girls and women growing up in a world, where to get ahead, one learns to hide, down-play, and even ignore anything that might be thought of as ‘women’s intuition.’  Instances are described where women had an intuition before an potentially harmful incident happened, for instance before violence was perpetrated toward them: the hairs on their arms getting prickly, a sense of time standing still, a crawling sensation across their shoulders or up their spine, a knot in the stomach, an immediate desire to throw up.  De Becker calls this ‘the gift of fear,’ and a gift that should be honed and practiced and shared...not downplayed or ignored.

I think the book affected me because I notice things – I intuit things.  And yes, I didn’t share those moments with others, lest they categorized me with unfavourable adjectives.  

The gift of fear should be honed and practiced and shared. Today I begin with my recollections of this book because we are going to take a look at FEAR.  Last Sunday, you will recall, that the readings were reinterpretations of the Law from one generation to the next.  The essence of the Law remained the same, but the tidbits changed and the application of the Law varied as society and circumstances changed across the centuries. The starting point was consistent, love the Lord your God; relationship with ‘I am the Lord.’

We are reminded of this again with the words heard earlier from Leviticus: Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God am holy. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.

Last week, as part of the explanation of the text, during the Kid’s Corner, the children talked about commandment #5 -You shall not kill.  Our attention was drawn to Luther’s explanation of the commandment.  The explanation begins: What does this mean for us?  We are to fear and love God...

Every time I use the catechism and the meanings provided, I receive feedback about the use of the word FEAR; fear in relation to God.  People don’t like it – we are to fear God.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington has Youtube videos dubbed, #2minutes2virtue. In the videos Catholic priests from the Diocese explain a virtue in a quick and articulate way.  They have one called, “Cultivating Holy Fear.”  The priest begins by asking, “Are you afraid of God?” And responds, “I hope not.” Then asks, “Do you fear God?” And responds, “I hope so.”  Just so you heard it, the priest asks, “Are you afraid of God? I hope not. Do you fear God? I hope so.”

Some might argue that the questions posed are just a discussion of semantics – that the questions are the same. I like the tension between the questions because I think this is where Christians live – in the tension- in 50 shades of fear, so to speak. We are to constantly wrestle with our understanding and experience of God, the Law, and how it is we live righteously or fail to do so. We are to wrestle with FEAR within this discussion.

In cultivating holy fear, the priest talks about how Christians have drawn too close to Jesus, in the sense that we have made Jesus too familiar. Jesus is like us, our friend. Go to any art gallery that has religious art, and you will see that Jesus is painted in a way that looks like the artist – same skin colour, hair, body shape, clothing. What has happened in our application of the Gospel is that we have found a comfortable Jesus, retelling the stories that give us hope, reciting the beautiful words and sayings that bring peace, and taking consolation in the thought that Jesus died and rose for me.  We are not afraid of this Jesus.  We have no fear of this Jesus. In essence we have reduced God to our level.

On most top ten lists of what people are afraid of one will find the fear of thunder, lightening, darkness, and heights. Lists that delve deeper include fear of enclosed spaces, commitment, intimacy, and death. All of these fears are articulated in the story of Moses on the mountain receiving the Law from the Lord. In our Leviticus text Moses is on the mountain with God receiving instruction. It is Moses talking with God; the people have long since drawn back from being in conversation with God in such a big way. When the cloud enclosed the mountain – dulling God’s glory for earthy eyes – when the mountains shook with God’s voice, when God’s power released in thunder and lightening, when God first connected with the people as they arrived in the wilderness- leaving slavery for freedom- the people felt as if they would die.  The people feared the Lord. The people pleaded with Moses to ask God not to come to them in such manner, rather, Moses was asked to approach God and the people would receive God’s Law through him.  The experience was too grand; God’s power too awesome; the intimacy of the moment too thorough and all-knowing; the sense of one’s minuteness too overwhelming; the glory of God – even in shadow, covered in cloud- was too abundantly expansive. The people feared the Lord.

As a people we are far removed from the mountain experience of the Exodus; and far removed from fear of the Lord.  It has been argued that such fear has diminished with the rise of science, the ability to explain thunder, lightening, clouds over mountains, and earthquakes.  This may be true, yet, attentive people -despite knowing the science- experience awe and wonder in moments of Mystery provided through nature; perhaps though shying away from using the phrase, experiencing the fear of the Lord.

I think the problem with FEAR -as a concept, an emotion- fear is talked about in negative terms. Fear does not easily sit with the rise of the self-made human.  Fear becomes something to control; to overcome. One is not to fear; or not to show it to others for that would be to give another power over you. Unfortunately fear insinuates weakness.

As society has reached an epidemic height of ‘its-all-about-me,’ there is no room left for fear of a power greater than oneself. Whether one is egocentric, egotistical, narcissistic, attention seeking, a drama queen- what-have-you; attention is not given to reflect on how tiny human life is; how fragile we are as individuals and as communities; how having fear and naming our fears would serve us well in conversations about issues facing the planet today --- everything from global warming, changing economies, the right to protest, the spread of viruses, the number of displaced people, tyranny, the polarization of people.

The priest in the cultivating holy fear video, say that Christians are to fear the Lord, for it is this fear, and only this fear, that has the grace and power to deliver us from the false fears that haunt us. We are to return to scripture from last week, from this week, hear and digest the words, I am the Lord. This is the starting point, from here we then are to go and love our neighbour, and as Jesus says in today’s gospel, love our enemies.  This very suggestion should make us at least a little afraid and returns us to the discussion of a comfortable Jesus, God reduced to our level.

We are not to find a comfortable Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus continues his reiteration of the Law to those who live the Law – expanding the Law from a simple set of rules, to a full bodied discourse on relationship and reconciliation.  It made people angry. It induced fear. If an expanded Law was lived, life would change – for the individual, for the community, for the world – it would mean a drastic change in power, a change in economics, a change in public practices; social systems would be upended, there would be a whole lot of loss and there would be gain; people -as people are- would be fearful of living the turmoil and instability of such drastic change. As example we were merely inconvenienced by the blockades of the past few weeks, fear giving us a lack of vision for what could be, can be, in God’s eyes must be.  In opening ourselves to our biggest fears – entering them fully- we will find the fear of the Lord waiting for us. Entering a time of suffering and pain – honest fear- to birth God’s kingdom is outside most people’s ability.  But this is exactly what Jesus’ followers are being asked to do.

We are to fear and love God so that we...

are graced with a  power that delivers us from the false fears that haunt us; and inspires us to cultivate the gift of holy fear  -- a gift that when honed, practiced, and shared empowers God’s people to enter a time of suffering and pain – honest fear- to birth God’s Kingdom, and work beyond human fear.

The Lord said, speak to the congregation, to the whole community and tell them:

Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.  Love your neighbour; love your enemies. I am the Lord.

the Law as Living Word

Epiphany 6A-2020
When I was little, the neighbourhood children liked to play Barbie, or house, or we would play ‘Duke’s of Hazard,’ a favourite TV show at the time – which meant lots of chasing each other in our imaginary cars. These were okay, but, when alone I would line up my stuffed animals and dolls and play teacher, lecturer, sometimes almost preacher.
This morning’s scripture texts are a treasure trove for a teacher, or a teaching preacher.

We have illustrated for us, through a variety of texts, how it is that scripture has been interpreted and taught through the centuries. We learn how scripture is living Word, by witnessing how it changes – yet remains consistent and true.
We begin the journey in Deuteronomy, a word that literally means the “second law.”  It is a second statement of the law, meaning it summarizes, re-interprets, explains, enhances and presents a nuanced text. The same law – in essence- yet made new for the people to whom it was being taught.
Deuteronomy is presented as Moses’ final reiteration of the law, 40 years after the original Law was given as the people entered the desert – they are now about to enter new land, and begin to settle and live in community.  The text itself is younger than Moses, probably originating in the seventh century BCE; the expression of the Law coincides with the distinctive religious and legal requirements used by King Josiah to reform the Temple and practices of his time.
Skipping ahead 650 years or so, we encounter Jesus, using the Law as it had been used since the very beginning – summarizing, re-interpreting, explaining, enhancing, presenting a nuanced text – in essence the same Law, made new for the people to whom it was being taught.
Between Deuteronomy and Jesus, the Law was Living Word, remaining the same -but changing for each generation. In this time, the Law was taught and passed on through 22 generations.
We can read of the Law in the hands of the Judges, the prophets, the kings. We see it rewritten in Proverbs – a book of rules to teach young men how to be in the world. This book spans a hundred years or so of additions; and Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus, follows many generations later (but well before Jesus) to once again make a discipline manual for young men. After Jesus, we can read of the Law in the hands of Peter, and Paul, in their reinterpretation of the Law for their time and place.
What we learn is that the Law is continually reflected upon, practiced, argued.  The Law has importance and God’s people have and continue to wrestle with it. The Law sets a foundation for ethics and morals, contributes to religious and civil laws, is used when people discuss sin.
What we learn by following the Living Word through scripture is that the Law although set in stone, is not. There were many times in the life of God’s people when there was no Temple in Jerusalem – so many of the Laws were set aside until a time when the Temple might be rebuilt. There were times through history when all portions of the Law could not be kept due to circumstance or situation. Various teachers had varying views – Jesus’ disciples plucked and chewed grain on the sabbath; Jesus healed on the Sabbath; they ate with women and those considered sinful – all seen as unlawful actions by Pharisaic teachers of Jerusalem at that time.  In the time of Paul, new understandings meant the setting aside of food regulations, Laws about circumcision, and so on.
What we learn by following the Living Word through scripture is that the Law is not as black and white as people so often try to make it. We also learn that the Law does not rank actions as better or worse – each law is presented – no judgement or qualification given. Murder, sexuality, mixing of fibers when making fabric, what not to eat, how far one can walk, how to farm, the role of women, the tithe to give to God... all are presented in equal terms. Each generation has their favourites, laws chosen over other laws, those practiced, those forgotten; those debated, those used to label sin.
It has been 67 generations or so, since the time of Jesus; 89 from the time of Deuteronomy... and today we are once again called to reflect on interpretations of the Law.
Deuteronomy tells us that God has given a choice.  The choice is life and prosperity, or death and adversity. The interpretation of the Law is that people have a responsibility to apply the Law to life, as a people and as individuals.  The choices made as to how the Law is lived, will affect the outcome. Choice is about attitude. Do you live the Law because you have to, or because you want to? We learn from the interpretation offered by Deuteronomy that the whole Law is framed in one phrase, “you obey the commands of the Lord your God by loving the Lord your God;” followed by the responsibility to walk God’s ways, observe God’s commandments and ordinances. The beginning of choice, life, prosperity, attitude, is relationship with God. Loving God.
In every reiteration of the Law, loving God, does not change as the starting point for following the Law.
Loving God is the essence of the Law; the ordinances and commandments are illustrations as to how one expands their love for God- expanding one’s love for God is an ever expanding circle of rules that navigate human relationships ---to lead one to loving neighbour and loving creation.
Before Jesus teaches and expounds on points of the Law, he says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets.  I have come, not to abolish them, but to fulfill them.” Jesus is assuring the listener that the Law remains – the same but changed – fuller. What we hear Jesus doing is expanding the basic Law to address the realities of the complexity of human living. Jesus delves into the nitty-gritty of failed human relationship using specific examples from his time and expands what it means to love God in such circumstances.  It is also quite clear that living the basic Law does not bring the kingdom of God to earth in the present; fullness of life requires going beyond.

Jesus ruffles a lot of people’s held beliefs and practices with his teaching of the Law. 
Everyone is held accountable – called murderers – as Jesus expands the Law to include arguing, holding grudges, withholding forgiveness, those with unreconciled relationships.
Men are held accountable for their actions with women, a revolutionary idea for the time; and perhaps with the #meToo movement not just Jesus’ time but ours too.
Then Jesus’ addresses divorce,  some scholars suggesting that Jesus is really pointing fingers at an epidemic of faux-marriage, non-marriage at that time– meaning people not committing at all to entering into covenant with another person in a marriage relationship. 
I can’ help but think that the whole point of Jesus’ interpretation of the Law is to have listeners annoyed enough that they reflect on their own lives, on the choices they make-EVERY CHOICE- is it compatible with loving God?

Eric Barreto, New Testament Professor at Princeton, wrote: “In the end, to what are these commandments calling us? Not to a checklist of morality but to a flourishing of life.  Not to a baseline of decency but to an embodied, relational, transformative encounter with all whom we meet.  Not to a sufficient set of hurdles for righteousness but to a path of wholeness with creature and creator alike.”

Today’s take aways:
• The essence of the Law is loving God. Loving God is the starting point for following the Law.
• We have been given the freedom to choose life or death, prosperity or adversity.
• As God-lovers we have a responsibility to act beyond the basic law.
• We are called to further God-love by making choices that build our human relationships and our relationship with creation.
• We are to continually reflect, interpret, apply, argue, teach, reiterate, the Law for our time and place.
• With every choice we make, the first question to slip through our minds and our hearts should be– is this compatible with loving God?

God whom we wish to love,
We give thanks for the Law – Living Word- passed from generation to generation. In its essence is You; hoping, praying that human beings take responsibility to live life choosing relationship. As we focus and strive on loving you, help us with the choices we make in our every day lives – every choice- may we reflect whether it is compatible with loving You. Through our actions and growing relationships may your kingdom come. Amen.