\nSometimes
\nthings are complicated, things like trying to build the kin-dom of
\nGod for example. \u00a0This feels especially complicated when trying to
\nhold together awareness of many people, with many different needs,
\nand may varied experiences of oppression. \u00a0When Rev. Dr. Traci West
\nwas here talking about \u201cGrace and Race\u201d she reminded us that when
\nwe look at things intersectionally, the same people can be both
\noppressed and oppressor, in different roles or realities they live.
\nActually, it is more that we are all both, which we have to keep in
\nmind while also trying to get clear on how the systems work that
\ncreate and enforce the oppressions, so that we can be part of
\nchanging them.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nSometimes
\nthings are really complicated, like when we try to identify the
\ndriving forces that are important in building a more just society,
\nand when we look at how deeply embedded how intricate the forces that
\nkeep the status quo in place are. \u00a0Sometimes things are really
\ncomplicated, like when we try to imagine a world without hungry
\npeople, and then we think about all the changes that would require.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAnd
\nthen, in the midst of all the complications, come the simplest and
\nclearest commandments of the Bible. They can easily be remembered.
\nThey leave minimal space for interpretation, \u00a0and there isn’t any
\nwiggle room in them. \u00a0Love God, and love your neighbor. \u00a0Follow up
\nquestion: who is my neighbor is easily answered: everyone. \u00a0Done<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThe
\ncommandments offer a very simple explanation of the sort of love that
\nGod wants from us: to love God the way God wants to be loved is to
\nlove God’s people. \u00a0Its all very simple.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nYet,
\nevery one of us who has tried to live these commandments knows they
\nget very complicated to live out, very quickly. \u00a0How is it that
\nsomething so simple and understandable is also so very difficult?<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThanks \n<\/p>\n \nThe \n<\/p>\n \nThe \n\u201cseeks \nIn \n<\/p>\n \nThat \n<\/p>\n \nThe \n<\/p>\n \nThe \n<\/p>\n \nThe \n<\/p>\n \nThe \n<\/p>\n \nOne \n<\/p>\n \nSo \n<\/p>\n \nNow, \n<\/p>\n \nIf \n<\/p>\n \nFor \n<\/p>\n \nAt \n<\/p>\n \nWhat 1<\/a>Walter 2<\/a>Kaiser, Rev. Sara E. Baron<\/p>\n First United Methodist Church of Schenectady<\/p>\n 603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305<\/p>\n Pronouns: she\/her\/hers<\/p>\n http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n October 29, 2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\ngoodness for Leviticus (things you might not have expected to hear –
\never). \u00a0As it is written in the New Interpreter’s Bible, \u201cLeviticus
\n19 is one of the grand chapters of the whole book of Leviticus. \u00a0In
\nAmerican Reform Judaism it is one of the most quoted and most often
\nread chapters, especially since it is assigned as the Torah reading
\nfor Yom Kippur afternoon in that tradition.\u201d1<\/sup><\/a>
\n If you are not familiar with Yom Kippur, it is the Holiest day in
\nthe Jewish tradition, and is focused on atonement and repentance.
\nThe Yom Kippur prayer of atonement is so vast and inclusive that I
\nfind it exceptionally healing, by the time it is over it truly feels
\nas if the slate of past wrongdoings is wiped clean and we can start
\nanew. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\npart of the chapter that we are focusing on today reflects on what it
\nmeans to love one’s neighbor, and the commandments it contains seem
\nto clarify what tends to go wrong! \u00a0By noticing how people are
\ninstructed to do right, we can see what has gone wrong too
\nfrequently. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\nfirst part of the set of instructions are about how to care for
\npeople who live in poverty, and they are consistent with other
\npassages in the Torah. \u00a0As one commentator puts it, this set of
\ninstructions\n<\/p>\n
\nto help poor people by legislating that the three chief products of
\nagriculture \u2013 the grain, the product of the vine, and the fruit of
\nthe trees, are not to be harvested entirely; some is to be left for
\npoor people to glean. \u00a0\u2026 the Lord is the ultimate owner of
\neverything; thus the land is a gift from the Lord. \u00a0If the landowners
\nare only stewards of the land and all that it produces, there is no
\nreason to be selfish and stingy. \u2026 Disadvantaged persons have a
\nright to harvest the edges of the fields; they are not to depend on
\nvoluntary gifts alone.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n
\nmodern terms, I wonder if the comparison is to be made to welfare,
\nand other assistance that comes through the Department of Social
\nServices. \u00a0The comparison isn’t perfect, gleaning the field was seen
\nas a human right, however it does compare well to the idea that there
\nneeds to be a way to provide for the basic needs of life for all
\npeople, and that on top of those very basic needs there will be need
\nfor further support. \u00a0(Please note the video on Sustain and the idea
\nthat those who are getting help from DSS are still struggling to
\naccess basic necessities of life.)<\/p>\n
\nidea that all that is, is God’s, and that we are to use it
\nappropriately is one of the most humbling ideas in our faith. \u00a0Do we
\ndo it? \u00a0How well? \u00a0What would God have us be doing with our resources
\nthat we aren’t doing? \u00a0How have things gotten to where they are? \u00a0\t<\/p>\n
\nsecond bit of instruction deals with truth; there are commands not to
\nsteal, not to deal falsely, not to lie, and not to swear falsely in
\nthe name of God. \u00a0Apparently these are also common issues in all of
\nhumanity, the temptation to take what isn’t ours or tell untruths for
\nour own benefit. \u00a0Their inclusion in this passage is notable though:
\nto seek a benefit from an untruth means taking that benefit from
\nsomeone else. It is not to act as we would wish others would act
\ntowards us. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\nthird set of instructions seems to focus on balancing power. \u00a0In
\nparticular the instructions are against fraud and against stealing.
\nThen comes yet another instruction that seems to be timeless: \u201cyou
\nshall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning.\u201d
\nLaborers were usually living day to day, using the labor of the day
\nto buy the day’s bread. \u00a0By keeping it for just a bit longer, the
\nperson who didn’t pay on time would be keeping a person from their
\ndaily food. \u00a0This has compassion for the poorest workers. \u00a0Finally,
\nthe instructions condemn taking advantage of a person’s disability
\n(and I’d expect this expands to any weakness). \u00a0Specially it says not
\nto speak harshly to a deaf person nor attempt to trip a blind person.
\n In summation, this part of loving our neighbors as ourselves seems
\nto be about not taking advantage of anyone just because we can. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\nfourth part of this set of instructions
\nworries about \u201cjust judgements\u201d and in particular the
\navailability of justice to people who are poor. \u00a0This is practically
\nan obsession of the Torah. \u00a0It is as if there is something inherent
\nin human nature that biases people toward partiality, towards giving
\nthe rich and powerful more wealth and more power while taking it away
\nfrom the impoverished and disempowered. \u00a0I don’t much like thinking
\nabout humanity that way, but I can’t see any other reason why the
\nBible would spend SO much effort trying to correct for it.
\nFurthermore, I suppose, that when dealing with justice in combination
\nwith wealth and power, any human could come face to face with a
\nself-preservation instinct. \u00a0A wealthy person who is displeased might
\nbe capable of significant harm. \u00a0Perhaps it is just self-preservation
\nthat makes it possible that all justice systems need constant
\nreminders and corrections to ensure that justice serves the poor and
\nthe wealthy equally well. \u00a0It is distributing however, that the
\nissues that exist today in our nation’s justice system are neither
\nnew nor unique, but reflect a problem with humanity itself. \u00a0That may
\nmean it is will be quite reticent to correction.
\n#Schooltoprisionpipeline #privateprisons<\/p>\n
\nfinal set of instructions about neighborliness in Leviticus 19 is a
\nbit surprising. \u00a0It explicitly states that to love your neighbor
\nmeans you can’t hate them. \u00a0That may be a lot harder than it sounds.
\nIt also says that you have to call them to account when their
\nbehavior isn’t loving. \u00a0That’s definitely harder than it sounds.
\nThen we’re told not to seek revenge AND not to hold grudges. \u00a0Then
\nthis part of the passage seamlessly draws itself to a conclusion, the
\none we already knew was coming, \u201cYou shall love your neighbor as
\nyourself.\u201d \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\nthing seems true, the last few millennia haven’t seen much change in
\nhuman behavior. \u00a0The explicit instructions in Leviticus about what
\nloving our neighbors looks like hold up well to the test of time.<\/p>\n
\nwhat do we do with these easy to understand, difficult to enact
\ncommandments? \u00a0We could discuss further instruction, but that hasn’t
\nyet proven productive. \u00a0We could offer inspiring stories, but I think
\nthat’s been done enough. \u00a0I wonder if our time is better spent
\nconsidering what holds us back from loving our neighbors, and what we
\nmight do to overcome those barriers.<\/p>\n
\nthis list is just my best guesses (I’m a little sad we don’t’ have a
\nsermon talk-back so I can hear what you’d add or remove), the things
\nthat make it hard for us to love our neighbors: \u00a0fear of our own
\ndeaths (\u201cexistential anxiety\u201d) and an instinct toward self
\npreservation, combined with believing in the myth of scarcity;
\nin-group thinking and fear of others; and finally a lack of love for
\nourselves. \u00a0(If the commandment is to love our neighbors AS
\nourselves, it implies we are also supposed to be good at loving
\nourselves!) \u00a0That isn’t a terribly extensive list, I was attempting
\nto be as clear like the commandments themselves \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
\nyou are willing to take a homework assignment, I’d encourage you to
\nspend some time considering if the list above feels true in your
\nexperience, and then to consider what things make you more
\nsusceptible to those challenges to loving our neighbors and which
\nmake it easier for you to overcome them and love your neighbors well.
\n The answers to those questions are pretty important, especially if
\nwe’re all willing to work on them.<\/p>\n
\nme, there are two key pieces to overcoming those challenges, two
\nthings that help me truly love our neighbors. \u00a0The first is quiet
\ntime to soak in God’s love and hear my own inner voice, and the
\nsecond is having opportunities to learn about the world and to
\nconnect with people \u2013 especially those whose lives have been
\nradically different from mine. \u00a0To start at the beginning for this,
\nwhen I’m tired, or drained, or anxious, I’m not very loving \u2013
\nincluding to myself. \u00a0While sleep and also good food matter, the key
\nto keeping myself from getting drained is taking time for my
\nspiritual well-being. \u00a0For me, at my best, this means an HOUR a day
\nspent in contemplative prayer, although the particular form of the
\nprayer isn’t consistent. \u00a0When I stop all the doing and just listen \u2013
\nboth to God and myself \u2013 I’m more centered, more loving, more
\nfocused, and waaaaaaaaaay less anxious.<\/p>\n
\nthe same time, one of the great dangers of trying to \u201cLove our
\nneighbors as ourselves\u201d is misunderstanding what love looks like
\nfor a particular person or group of people. \u00a0If I don’t understand
\nthe problem, and if I don’t take the time to listen to the one(s)
\nstruggling, then the love I try to share may end up doing more harm.
\nAlso, I really like learning, connecting, and trying to understand
\nthe world and its people.<\/p>\n
\nguides you? \u00a0What helps you be more loving? \u00a0I know some of you need
\nforests, others need music, others need exercise \u2013 and for many of
\nyou, I don’t know! \u00a0If you do know what you need to be more loving
\nthe next question is: are you DOING it? \u00a0I think God would appreciate
\nit if we spent our time doing the things that help us be more loving
\ntoward our neighbors, in fact, I think that’s how we best love God.
\nAmen\n<\/p>\n
\n\tC. Kaiser, \u201cIntroduction, Commentary, and Reflections on
\n\tLeviticus\u201d in The New Interpreter’s Bible Volume <\/i>One
\n\t, Leander E. Keck, editorial board convener (Nashville: Abingdon
\n\tPress, 1994) p. 1131.<\/p>\n
\n\t1133.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FUMCSchenectady<\/a><\/p>\n