SD-51: Lost yesterday to a drive to Cleveland, I will continue today with the first lesson from Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 (here's the whole context). Leviticus 19:1-18 19The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:2Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.3You shall each revere your mother and father, and you shall keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.4Do not turn to idols or make cast images for yourselves: I am the Lord your God.5When you offer a sacrifice of well-being to the Lord, offer it in such a way that it is acceptable on your behalf.6It shall be eaten on the same day you offer it, or on the next day; and anything left over until the third day shall be consumed in fire.7If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination; it will not be acceptable.8All who eat it shall be subject to punishment, because they have profaned what is holy to the Lord; and any such person shall be cut off from the people.9When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest.10You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. 11You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another.12And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord.13You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning.14You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.15You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor.16You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord.17You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself.18You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. In this reading of the text I was drawn to the last bit - the highlighted part that will be the last part of this Sunday's lesson. Love once again rules. It does not rule as a "let things go" or "don't correct evil." Rather, this love -that is what is holy about us- is the life that does not 'go after the other even when the other has done us wrong.' No, we are not to be weak as though weakness is a goal. We are to be strongly confident in the position we hold according to our God - holy. Therefore, we need no attack the other even when the other seeks to put an end to us. What we must do is point out the evil - name it - pull back the curtain - rumble around in the Temple and call out the people of power who claim to be valued more than we are. Ha! No one is valued by God more than we are - we are all valued - precious -worthy. No more vengeance - no more false witness in order to get back at others - no more cutting down - no more back-biting. We can risk being filled with the truth -and with telling that kind of story. It may involve forgiveness and it may involve saying "no" to any power that attempts to lessen the power of another. That is what this love is all about. It is the power to stand against evil and stand for what is just and honorable and holy among us all. That is when we will take a hit for something called love - a love that is holy - a live that is us: from the beginning to the end. Connection: There is no need for pay-backs - ever. The resurrection puts an end to any power that thinks it must have its say and its way. Most often we think it is the other side that condemns and tries to destroy. And yet, it is also all of us - we want our way and we will do the most terrible things to make it so - even things we can justify with a boat load of arguments. How does love look when we really, really want to play the game of pay-backs and vengeance? Draw us into the wealth of your Reign, O God, for we like to go the cheap route and take life as we would control it and own it. Amen. |
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