Psalm 82 and Proverbs 31:8&9: Council Culture.

 Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 19 February 2023 by Major Michael Ramsay

 

This has been a tough week or two. I am so thankful for DHQ and THQ support. These past couple of weeks we have been working on budgets. I am so thankful for Oxana, who works at headquarters, she has been doing an amazing job coordinating our budget because – as you may know – it is more complicated than ever before as we may be officially folding the Bread of Life into The Salvation Army and we have a new contract with BC Housing to provide a shelter for 25 people in the Bread of Life building and we have a lot of renovations, and we still have all of our other departments to budget for, as well.

 

We have also had a risk management assessment this week – this is an audit of sorts – and I am sure we have a lot to work on when we receive the completed report. All this work will actually be a good head start because this coming year we will need to be accredited because of our shelter – I am very thankful for all the help Terri Thompson from THQ is offering through this process.

 

I am so thankful also for Derland, Michaela, and Captain Sharon Tidd through all of this because – just like Oxana know things about accounting that I have no idea about and Terri knows things about accreditation and shelters that I have no idea about, Derland and Michaela know a lot about buildings and permits that I know nothing about. And Captain Sharon has been amazing at guiding me through all of these processes.

  

This has all been on top of year-end stats and receipting that needs to done, employee reviews and everything else. All of which has added to the workload of our relatively new managerial and administrative staff at the corps: Lisa, Carol-Anne, Nancy, Laurie. I am so thankful for them!

  

Carol-Anne, our TS manager, gave me this cup a while back: it says ‘worry less, pray more’. It is a good reminder for me.

  

Another very important reminder for me is why we are doing all this anyway: We are doing this all for the Gospel of Christ. The Good News that Jesus, lived, died, and rose again so that we can all have life abundantly both forever and for now. It is our role, to share this Good News with all we meet and to stand up for the poor, disenfranchised, marginalized, and those who have no voice.

  

A number of you have verses that we handed out prior to the service, I invite you to read them now…

   

Psalm 82:3-4:

Defend the weak and the fatherless;

    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy;

    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

 

Psalm 140:12:

I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor

    and upholds the cause of the needy.

 

Proverbs 14:21:

It is a sin to despise one’s neighbour,

    but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.

 

Proverbs 14:31:

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,

    but whoever is kind to the needy honours God.

 

Proverbs 19:17:

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

    and he will reward them for what they have done.

 

Proverbs 21:13:

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor

    will also cry out and not be answered.

 

Proverbs 22:22-24:

Do not exploit the poor because they are poor

    and do not crush the needy in court,

for the Lord will take up their case

    and will exact life for life.

 

Proverbs 29:7:

The righteous care about justice for the poor,

    but the wicked have no such concern.

 

Proverbs 31:8-9:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, 

for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy,”

 

Isaiah 61:1:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim freedom for the captives

    and release from darkness for the prisoners,

 

1 John 3:17-18: If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

 

Matthew 25:40: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

  

This week and a couple of weeks ago I had some Psalm 82 experiences. I don’t know how regularly you each have Psalm 82 experiences. I will read again from verses 3-4:

 

Stand up for the weak and for children whose fathers have died.

Protect the rights of people who are poor or treated badly.

Save those who are weak and needy.

Save them from the power of sinful people.

 

On January 23^rd I went before City Council with the thoughts of this and Proverbs 31:8-9, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy,” with me.

 

As you know we have had people staying at the Warming Centre and The Salvation Army EWR shelter at the Bread of Life building off and on for a couple of years now and since we have now received the good news that it will be an ongoing BC Housing-funded shelter, we need to have some renovations done so that we can provide a safe, secure, and healthy environment for the most vulnerable in our community. In order to do this, we needed someplace for the people who were staying overnights with us at the Bread of Life to stay while we do the work.

 

We made many phone calls to see what buildings we might be able to use while we are doing our renovations, just overnights, and just for a short period of time, and in the same area as those suffering homelessness and housing insecurities are already living. We found the perfect place in the Eagles Hall (a five minute walk from here). It is right in our neighbourhood, right by the trailers, right by the OPS, right where people are living in doorways and on sidewalks. It is the perfect place that will not add any new vulnerable people to a community but on the contrary will bring many inside, out of the cold. Providence provided even one more piece: Mary Anne and Wade are both Eagles and so they were able to help us make this work.

 

As is the legal procedure for this kind of thing – because we would never want to flout the law – we went to the city staff, and they worked diligently to make sure that everything is above board. One city staff member, ironically named Marianne Wade, really went above and beyond making sure that all of the I’s were dotted and T’s were crossed – and I was sure glad of that!

 

We appeared before council for what should have been a formality as all the leg work was already done by the city staff including building inspectors, fire department, Marianne, all kinds of folks and our people as well. But there was one city counsellor who it appeared was determined to bully the city staff, The Salvation Army, me personally, and/or the vulnerable in our community through us. No reasonable person could possibly have expected such a thing.

 

This was doubly strange for it seemed to be an intentional abuse of authority by the councilor to scourge someone publicly. I will often swing by the offices of local Executive Directors – as you know it is important for me to work well with community partners. In the days prior to appearing before council, I swung by one local non-profit agency to talk to their ED but she wasn’t there; so I was going to leave. One of the city councilors was there – he is the president of the local branch of this non-profit – and he invited me in to chat. I thought we had a pleasant enough chat but in the whole conversation he never did once ask me about our shelter, he never did once ask me about the Eagles Hall or the people at the Bread of Life. He had every opportunity to raise concerns with me when we were speaking face-to-face. God provided the opportunity for any legitimate concerns to be addressed right there in a non-threatening productive manner. This councilor, however, inexplicably declined to do so – which would have been honourable. Instead, days later, at a publicly broadcast city hall meeting, he seemingly preferred to ambush city employees, me, those with me, others present, and by extension all whom we represent, in a public forum where he was provided the opportunity to abuse authority, bully others, malign the Army and demand that people be thrown out on the street. Psalm 82:1-5a, seems to refer to leaders like this:

 

1 God takes his place at the head of a large gathering of leaders. He announces His decisions among them.

2 He says, “How long will you stand up for those who aren’t fair to others?

How long will you show mercy to sinful people?

3 Stand up for the weak and for children whose fathers have died.

Protect the rights of people who are poor or treated badly.

4 Save those who are weak and needy.

Save them from the power of sinful people.

5 “You leaders don’t know anything.

You don’t understand anything.

 

I was obviously thrown for a loop by the councilor’s behaviour. I did not expect an attack on myself and the vulnerable in our community. A number of city council members, who let his interrogation continue publicly, approached me later to extend their support, as did many community leaders here – we have so many good leaders in our community. I expressed to the councilors and community leaders that I wasn’t as much concerned about myself as I was about the staff and the members of the public that need to appear before council as this how they are treated. And later I realized that this one councilor really does seem intent on finding some way to throw the people we are housing out on the street. (You are welcome to view the video of the 13 February 2023 council meeting for evidence of this and make up your own mind) for I did speak to council about this abuse of power and the bullying. When I did, it was obvious to people present that I was met with even more bullying.

 

Now, at the end of the day I did receive public apologies from City Council members for not protecting the public from this abuse. I received assurances from the Mayor that Council should be a safe place for members of the public. Nonetheless, myself and others were put through the ringer and I don’t think this is done yet. Therefore, it is important for we, as children of God to continue to, Proverbs 31:8-9, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” And to, Psalm 82:3-4, “Stand up for the weak and for children whose fathers have died. Protect the rights of people who are poor or treated badly. Save those who are weak and needy. Save them from the power of sinful people.”

 

This our responsibility to the Gospel of Christ. The Good News that Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that we can all have life abundantly both forever and for now. It is our role, to share this Good News with all we meet and to stand up for the poor, disenfranchised, marginalized, and those who have no voice.

 

This can be tough!

 

When I could have been tempted to be discouraged in my efforts to do just this, God gave me this word from Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” And this my friends, is my encouragement to us today, that no matter how much power over us, the enemies of the poor and the needy may seem to have, in our own lives and in our own context, Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

 

Let us pray.

 

 

www.sheepspeak.com

Matthew 5: More Righteous than the Righteous.

Presented to TSA AV, 05 February 2023. Based on the sermon presented to Alberni Valley Ministries, Port Alberni, BC on 27 October 2019 by Captain (now Major) Michael Ramsay

  

To view the original 2019 version : https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2019/10/matthew-5-jesus-election-speech-and.html

  

The Beatitudes that we looked at last week were Jesus’ opening to his most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. This week, the passage we read was Matthew 5:17-20. I submit that this passage is His thesis statement for the whole of the sermon – or at least the fifth chapter so today we will be looking at it in the context of Chapter 5.

 

Scholars disagree as to what this passage means. There is no shortage of debate around even what the word “pleero” translated here, ‘fulfill’ actually means. I am not going to bore us so much today with debate about Greek words as I will attempt to interpret this passage in the context of Chapter 5 of the Sermon on the Mount. First, a synopsis of Matthew 5:17-20:

1.     Jesus’ main purpose is to fulfill the Law, not get rid of it;

2.     The Law is not going anywhere until it is complete;

3.     So, if you don’t listen to what Jesus says in this sermon you will cause yourself some trouble, because

4.     We need to be more righteous than the righteous people.

 

In Chapter 5, Jesus gives us six examples of how to do just this and how to show what it looks like as the law is fulfilled here in the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Verse 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a [sibling] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to [another], ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

 

Jesus’ point here is important. He is saying that drawing the line at ‘do not murder’, is the wrong place to draw the line. You will never stop people murdering people by drawing the line there. Jesus says we need to try to not even get mad at someone. He says if you call someone ‘Raca’ they can take you to court in his society but really if you get so angry that you call someone a 'fool' you may be in danger of becoming angry enough to even commit murder or some other such thing worthy of hell.

 

Jesus then gives us an extreme scenario, He says,

Verse 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

 

The people Jesus is speaking to are probably a 3 day walk from the Temple. Jesus tells them that if you walk all that way for 3 days with a goat or another animal and then realize that someone has something against you, leave the goat there (and hope it doesn’t walk away or get stolen), walk three days back to your home, make things up with the person, and walk 3 more days back to the Temple again hoping that your goat hasn’t wandered away!

 

There is no way this could happen, of course; Jesus is making a point: The secret to being more righteous than the righteous: It is better not to let things get out of hand than to push everything to the limit. It is better to solve your problems at the early stage.

.

He continues, the second way to be more righteous than the righteous, Verse 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Verse 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for adultery, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

 

Just like with murder, Jesus says drawing the line at divorce or even adultery is wrong. That probably will not actually stop anyone. Any sin is like a sled accelerating down a hill, the longer you are accelerating, the faster you are going, the more difficult it is to stop. Jesus says, in effect, drive the speed limit. He is even more vivid than that. He -exaggerating to make his point again! - says if you can’t stop looking at women in that way, pluck out your eye! It is better that than the consequences!

 

There is more when it comes to being more righteous than the righteous as the Law is fulfilled in the Kingdom of Heaven. Marriages usually begin with an oath. Verse 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

 

‘People aren’t keeping their oaths!’ Jesus says, it is time for people to stop finding ways to try to get out of their oaths through tricks, details and loopholes. You need to just start doing what you say you are going to do! Stop always looking for a way out of everything! In a world where people can’t even be trusted to do what they say they will do; how can they be trusted to make sacred vows! Jesus says don’t try to get out of promises! Be more righteous than the righteous that the righteous! Treat everything you say as a sacred oath!

 

Continuing reading from the Sermon on the Mount: Verse 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

 

Jesus says that as the Law has been fulfilled, to be more righteous than the righteous, we do need to stand up to injustice and in so doing we need to avoid the trap of being tricked into hating our opponents, which merely continues the cycle of violence and hate, and puts everyone in jeopardy.

 

Martin Luther King Jr said, “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” “I have decided to stick to love...Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

 

This is how the Law is fulfilled. As we love God we will stand up for the vulnerable, forgive and love each other, even loving - as the Officer covenant commits us - the unloveable. As Christ does this in us, than indeed even we will be more righteous than the righteous.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

Week 23: Romans 9:30: Righteousness

A devotional thought presented originally to Swift Current Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Thursday 05 March 2015.
Presented to the River Street Cafe, Toronto, 03 June 2016.

Read Romans 9:30-33

Remember the classic story, Alice through the Looking Glass? At one point there are two groups of people: those determined to reach a goal and those who are not. Those determined to reach the goal, walk towards a mirror where it is reflected but – of course – they never reach it because its not there; only the reflection is there. The ones, however, who turn (repent) and walk in the opposite direction are the one’s who actually find it.

We can never grab an image in the mirror because it is not a real item: it is just a reflection. This is like the Law and Israel: the Law is a reflection of God (cf. Wright, Romans, 649). It is not God and as long as one is reaching for this reflection, one can never grasp God. As long as you are reaching for his reflection rather than for Jesus - even though he is right beside you – you will never reach him.

I think sometimes in our churches we make this mistake. I think sometimes we can be tempted to believe that if we come to church and sing some songs we’ll be saved. Do we sometimes think that if we don’t swear, drink, smoke, gamble or whatever else we don’t do than we’ll be okay? Are we fooled into believing that if we are nice, don’t hurt anyone, and are likable than we deserve to go to heaven?

Well if any of us are hoping to get to God by being liked, being nice, or by our own righteousness; then we will be disappointed because personality, good works, and our own righteousness are nothing more than grasping at an image in the mirror.

Now there is good news: Romans 9:33, those who do trust in Jesus, rather than his reflection, will never be disappointed. We don’t need to look at anything else; we don’t need to be deceived by a reflection. Jesus is standing with us and he will never leave us nor forsake us.

This is gospel: Jesus died, rose from the dead, is coming back and whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). This is what we notice when we stop looking in mirrors of our righteousness, rules, regulations, traditions and/or anything else. When we turn away from these and repent – the word repent means to turn – we will see Jesus and be saved. This is good news.

This is not to say that there aren’t good things about traditions and right behaviour; this is just to say quite simply that they won’t save us. So our questions for today: Are there ways in our own lives when we are tempted to ignore God and try to grasp an image, a rule maybe, or a ritual instead? Are there times when we, like first century Israel, rely on our righteousness and in the process actually turn our backs on God? And if so what can we do to turn (repent) and see Jesus?

www.sheepspeak.com 

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[1] Based on the sermon by Captain Michael Ramsay, Romans 9:30 –10:4: The Law through the Looking Glass. Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Salvation Army, 04 May 2008 and Swift Current, 02 August 2009. On-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2008/05/romans-930-104-law-through-looking.html

Matthew 23: You Hypocrites!

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 08 February 2015 

by Captain Michael Ramsay

What is the main criticism that people say about church about Christians? Complete this sentence: I don’t go to church because they are all a bunch of _____________ (Hypocrites).

Some things never change look at Verse 13: ^‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!’ Verse 15: ^‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!’ Verse 23: ^‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!’ Verse 25: ^‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!’ Verse 27: ^‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!’ Verse 29: ^‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!’ Some things never change. So today I thought that we would look at some of the things people in the worshipping community did and do that if possible could very well impede someone’s salvation. Let’s take a look together and see how we can avoid the millennia old charge of hypocrisy.

Reading from Matthew 23:1-4:

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Here we have one or two groups of people.[1] Verse 2, Jesus mentions the teachers of the Law, the Pharisees. We run across this group of people a lot in the NT. They are primarily Jesus’ rivals in the Gospels and many of them – like the Apostle Paul – later are His followers; do we know who the Pharisees were? What was a Pharisee? A religious group but very loosely determined. They weren’t priests or pastors necessarily. (Scribes would imply a formal education of some sort.)[2] Pharisees (some of whom would be scribes) were ordinary churchgoers who had the same sort of general theological-political outlook.[3] Rather than being a denomination like Baptist or Anglican or Methodist, today they may more be like ‘Conservative Christians’ or the ‘Christian Right’ or south of the line they may even be ‘Tea Party’ supporters. They aren’t a denomination so much as a general type of person holding onto a general set of beliefs.[4] Some of the beliefs a Pharisee might have are they’d see themselves as a holiness movement: good, clean-living people (if they were in our world, they wouldn’t ever drink, smoke or swear). They are evangelistic (which is good) and they believe in the resurrection (which is right). Jesus says as – I believe – a hyperbolic statement of these stereotypical good synagogue/church-going types,[5] Jesus says:

⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant.¹² For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

The Pharisees and others today like them, they (and hopefully not we) are the ones who love to be seen helping in church. They want to make sure that someone thanks them for their work.[6] They don’t want to miss being a part of anything that the ‘important people’ do. They wear their best church clothes or - in our context - their neatly pressed uniforms on special occasions – so someone might see them and say, “good for you for being a ‘helper’ to those people;” “good for you for being a ‘servant’ of those people.” “Good for you for being a ‘teacher’, ‘leader’, ‘coordinator’ of those people” Jesus says, in effect, don’t let anyone praise you, calling you ‘helper’; don’t let people puff you up with flimsy praise and don’t do things just to be lauded;[7] when titles and praises are your reason for doing things, that’s a waste because you will be always humbled. Jesus says:

¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

¹⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

The Pharisees are evangelists. This is good. In our world today those like them, they would be great at telling you to pray. They would even tell you WHAT to pray for, I think; they would even tell you how to pray for it and they would even tell you which Christian authors you should read, which Christian musicians you should listen to, which politicians you should vote for and which ones you shouldn’t. They would be like so many right-or-other-wing radio shows south of the line, informing us that Christians ONLY act in this one way in everything they do. If we are like this Jesus says we are hypocrites. Even more, Jesus says, Verse 16ff.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwell in it.²² And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. ²⁴ You blind guides!  You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

²⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Jesus is saying that the Pharisees and any of us here today to whom these comments apply may be very good at doing all the right church things: watching the right shows, wearing the right clothes, voting for the right people, helping out in church, and even tithing; but Jesus says they don’t do what is really important. Jesus doesn’t care whether you read Max Lucado or watched Joel Olsteen (for two random examples) this week; He doesn’t worry about which radio station, Christian CD or MP3 you are going to play; you’re not going to go to hell because you listen to a Newsboys song – or some other like song. Jesus says we shouldn’t focus on this stuff. Jesus wants us to love Him. Jesus wants us to love God and love our neighbours, engaging in prayer, study, justice, mercy, and faithfulness. When we seek God through this, all acts of righteousness will naturally overflow in our lives but when we spend our time trying to look good or trying to look right about God then it does nothing but drive people away from us, away from church and away from God. Jesus says: Verse 29,ff:

²⁹ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. ³⁰ And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

³³ “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ³⁴ Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. ³⁵ And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. [Verse 30 again] And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 

They just had Martin Luther King Day south of the line. This year I read a lot of quotes from MLK.[8] In many ways, he really was a great man. I read some of his sermons and speeches. Everyone in the US really loves him and it is interesting. I looked at some of the Facebook pages of people who re-posted his quotes recently. You know MLK was very much a pacifist, right? He didn’t necessarily begin as such but the more resistance he personally received the more he was convinced that we should never bear arms under any circumstance and MLK was rightly determined that the only way to solve the world’s problems was forgiveness, emulating Christ’s in that way. The startling thing as I read more and more about him was the number people who posted his quotes and re-tweeted his comments who are war hawks! The number of war-mongers, the number of vengeance-seekers, the number of hate-peddlers and fear-disseminators, the number of people who support contemporary invasions of foreign countries who then re-tweeted MLK on MLK Day was astounding. I would never have guessed from their other tweets and posts that they would ever support a pastor who was pro-forgiveness and anti-war. MLK was opposed by powerful people in a war-like country and he was violently killed. I have a feeling that those who posted his quotes in one moment and then applauded aggressive military intervention in the next, I have I feeling that they may say that if they were there in MLK’s day they would never have, Verse 30, taken part in the shedding of his blood. To which Jesus responds, in essence, Verse 31-32, “you testify against yourselves [by your politics] that you are the descendants of those who murdered [him]. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!”

How many times do we applaud someone for standing up to evil and then turn around and celebrate that very evil that they opposed? How many times do we do and say things that look right while failing to stand up for, say, and do things that really are right?This may be why we in the churches are often called hypocrites.

Let me tell you a story. This is a story of our Christmas Day and Monday Night Dinners. I love these. These are community meals served in Jesus’ Name to everyone regardless of race, creed, religions, wealth, smell, appearance... These meals, I believe are Christian communion when our time and food is dedicated to our Lord and Saviour. Let me explain.

I have seen many soup kitchens in my time. I have seen some good ones, some okay ones, and some other ones. I have seen some meals that alienate, isolate, antagonize, and marginalize the people they aim to help. When you have a meal that is made by ‘good church people’ for ‘those other people’, when you have a meal that is served by ‘good church people’ for ‘those other people’, when you have a meal where the set up is done by ‘good church people’ for ‘those other people’, when you have a meal where the tear down is done by ‘good church people’ for ‘those other people’, then, maybe like Pharisees, like the hypocrites, we are doing our acts of righteous to other people instead of for God with other people…but our meals here are not like that.

Those of you who have been apart of it know that there is no ‘them’ in our gatherings; we are all family. Anyone can help Sylvia make the dinner; anyone can help Ron set up tables; anyone can sit and eat dinner with me or you; anyone and everyone can help tear down the tables and sweep up the floor. We are a community and I don’t know if anyone has ever stood back and looked at the wonderful lively conversations that occur not only across the table but also across socio-economic and other cultural and societal lines. My friends, at our Monday Night Meals there is no designation of Jew or Greek; male is not separated from female, rich people do not eat apart from poor people, people with university degrees aren’t fed before those without high school. We are one in the body of Christ. This is important and this is only one example of many we have right in our little church family of loving God and our neighbour. To those who aren’t blessed with serving Christ in this or like ways, Jesus says, Verses 37-39:

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

So to those of us who really do love our Lord and really do love our neighbour. For those of us who really do serve our Lord through serving our neighbour in a multitude of way, Jesus promises –like we read in the Sermon on the Mount[9]- that as our hearts are pure so will our actions be – not the other way round (Matthew 6:33). So today I have this encouragement to all of us here. We are going in the right direction. Keep on, keeping on. You are doing well. Keep on serving your brothers and sisters in Jesus’ Name; you are doing well; keep on helping your younger, older, weaker, stronger and other brother or sister in Jesus ‘Name, you are doing well. My friends keep and praying, reading your Bible and keep seeking the Kingdom of Heaven and our Saviour for He promises that as we do we will find Him and then righteousness and all the rest will be added unto us as indeed we proclaim, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

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[1] The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Matthew/Exposition of Matthew/VI. Opposition and Eschatology: The Triumph of Grace (19:3-26:5)/A. Narrative (19:3-23:39)/8. Opening events of Passion Week (21:1-23:39)/e. Seven woes on the teachers of the law and the Pharisees (23:1-36)/(1) Warming the crowds and the disciples (23:1-12), Book Version: 4.0.2

[2] M. Eugene Boring, Matthew, (NIB 8: Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), 430-431

[3] NT Wright, ‘Matthew for Everyone Part 2: Chapters 16-28’ (NT for Everyone: Louisville Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004),, 99

[4] Cf. NT Wright, ‘Matthew for Everyone Part 2: Chapters 16-28’ (NT for Everyone: Louisville Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 107.

[5] Cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 326

[6] Cf. William Hendriksen, Matthew, (NTC: Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007), 819.

[7] Cf. William Hendriksen, Matthew, (NTC: Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007), 824.

[8] But cf. Douglas R.A. Hare, Matthew (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 270 for a slightly different angle.

[9] Cf. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Matthew/Exposition of Matthew/VI. Opposition and Eschatology: The Triumph of Grace (19:3-26:5)/A. Narrative (19:3-23:39)/8. Opening events of Passion Week (21:1-23:39)/e. Seven woes on the teachers of the law and the Pharisees (23:1-36)/(1) Warming the crowds and the disciples (23:1-12), Book Version: 4.0.2
* Different coloured text was omitted from preached version of the text.

Isaiah 1:21-31: The Faithful Wife

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 26 January 2014 

By Captain Michael Ramsay

  

When we last spoke on Isaiah here, we talked about Isaiah 1:1-20, highlighting verses 18-20:[1]

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”

says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they shall be like wool

if you are willing and obedient.

You will eat the good things of the land

but if you resist and rebel,

you will be devoured by the sword.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

 Today we are going to pick up from where we left off. Isaiah 1:21-23, Isaiah declares:

See how the faithful city

has become a prostitute!

She once was full of justice;

righteousness used to dwell in her—

but now murderers!

Your silver has become dross,

your choice wine is diluted with water.

Your rulers are rebels,

partners with thieves;

they all love bribes

and chase after gifts.

They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;

the widow’s case does not come before them.

Who is the faithful city in the text today? The faithful city is Jerusalem and Jerusalem here represents all the people of God. And God says that the faithful city has become a prostitute. The analogy here is clear. God is saying that the once faithful city of Jerusalem… God is saying that the once faithful country of Judah… God is saying that the once faithful ‘people of Israel’ has become unfaithful.[2] God is saying that Israel, Judah, Jerusalem, the daughter of Zion was once like a faithful newlywed wife of God who loved and respected her husband but now she, the once faithful wife, has become a prostitute chasing after lovers for money. God is saying that the things Israel and Judah are doing are hurting Him just as much as if His new bride, His true love, were to leave His bed in the middle night to chase after lovers. God is saying that the once faithful city of Jerusalem… God is saying that the once faithful country of Judah… God is saying that the once faithful ‘people of Israel’ has become unfaithful to Him.

In what ways has Israel and Judah’s faithfulness turned to unfaithfulness? Isaiah says that while Israel used to be just and righteous, now she is a murderer. Her rulers are rebels. She partners with thieves; she loves bribes; she chases after gifts; she no longer takes care of the widows, the orphans, the vulnerable and the marginalized.[3] In chasing money for oneself and in failing to look after the vulnerable and the marginalized, in so doing, God says that it is as if her wine has been so watered down that even if she drinks it looking for a warming feeling, that feeling will never come. It is as if Israel’s valuable silver has turned to dross before their very eyes. It is as if we take all the money that we all own in the whole world and gather it before us in front of everyone here and then as soon as we do this – instantly, all these new polymer bills turn into a heap of recycled plastic right before our eyes. God says when we don’t love our neighbour, God says when we turn our backs on those in need it, God says when we chase after money, God says when we look out for ourselves first before we look out for God and our neighbour, God says it is the same as taking everything that He has given us in the whole world and tossing it in the recycling bin. Because of this, verses 24,25a

Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,

the Mighty One of Israel, declares:

“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes

and avenge myself on my enemies.

I will turn my hand against you.

Because God's people have acted as an unfaithful wife committing adultery for a profit: because God’s people have turned their backs on the vulnerable and the marginalized in society, because God's people have forsaken Him by forsaking their neighbours; God says, “I will vent my wrath on my foes…I will turn my hand against you.”[4] And He warns them even more, Verses 28-31:

…. rebels and sinners will both be broken,

and those who forsake the Lord will perish.

“You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks

in which you have delighted;

you will be disgraced because of the gardens

that you have chosen.

This is saying that they and we will be ashamed and disgraced of putting their faith in money and the economy.[5] When we fail to invest God’s love into our neighbours but invest in capital instead: banks fail; economies fail, we fail. And then,

You will be like an oak with fading leaves,

like a garden without water.

The mighty man will become tinder

and his work a spark;

both will burn together,

with no one to quench the fire.”

God’s people have been unfaithful: chasing lovers for money and forsaking the poor, the widow, the immigrant, the refugee, the marginalized and those in need. God says, Verse 25, “I will vent my wrath on my foes…I will turn my hand against you.” Then, Verses 30-31: “The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the fire.”

This is the state of Israel and Judah centuries BCE. Israel eventually ceased to exist as a sovereign state in 586 BCE and Judah was destroyed in 720 BCE. As the countries continued to forsake God, they found themselves forsaken.

What about the nation of Canada in the 21st Century? Where do we stand? Are we a loving and faithful wife true to God and the vows we have taken with and before Him? Are we faithful to the principles upon which our very nation was founded? Canada was founded upon Psalm 72, the Order of Canada upon Hebrews 11; The House of Commons used to be a house opened with prayer, as did our classrooms. Canada, we used to be a faithful wife. Even as recently as my arrival in our fair city here, there wasn’t a public event I can recall that wasn’t opened in prayer or grace asked prior to a meal; now - save Legion events - the opposite seems to be true. It seems that we are not true to God any more. This is sad.

Canada within the world and Saskatchewan within Canada used to stand tall as a place where people loved people because they loved God. There was a time not that long ago when anyone would be welcome at anyone’s home anytime they were in real need of a meal; there was a time not that long ago when anyone would help a friend find work; there was a time not long ago in this province when we intentionally set aside personal privileges in order to provide Medicare and medical and other assistance to those in very real need - now I fear the opposite may soon be true. These days, I hear politicians (even Christian ones) talk about cutting taxes and therefore cutting services to the poor, the weak, and the marginalized. As we said the previous time I chatted with you from up here, God tells us that how we love Him is reflected in how we love our neighbour. The faithful wife will love her husband's children. The unfaithful wife will chase after money and her own lusts in the middle of the night. Which is our country? I fear that maybe Canada is along with Israel, the once faithful wife now chasing after our own lusts and private monetary gain.

What about you and I assembled here today? It is one thing to talk about our vast country in general. It is yet another thing to talk about a foreign nation, oceans and millennia apart from our own. But as our pericope asks, how are we here at defending the cause of the fatherless? How are we here at defending the cause of the widow? How are we here at standing up for and standing up with the marginalized in our own time and place? How are we at helping out those in need around us in Swift Current, in this corps, in this congregation? There are many people in real need in our midst today. There are some in need of food and shelter. There are some in need of something to do. There are some in need of a hug and there are some in need of a prayer. There are some here who would love nothing more than for you to visit them during the week so loneliness will no longer drag them through despair. There are some here that if you call them this week, you will fill them with such joy that you cannot even fathom it. You and I here today, how are we at being the faithful wife? Do we need to return to the loving embrace of the Heavenly Father by extending an appropriate loving embrace to our neighbour? If we do, as we do, when we do take the time to find out what the people around us need and when we extend that helping hand to them in the Lord’s Name. God says, Verses 25b-27:

I will thoroughly purge away your dross

and remove all your impurities.

I will restore your leaders as in days of old,

your rulers as at the beginning.

Afterward you will be called

the City of Righteousness,

the Faithful City.”

Zion will be delivered with justice,

her penitent ones with righteousness.

Even though Israel is evil; even though Israel is turning her back on God by turning her back on her neighbour; the Lord loves her. He is faithful even though she is faithless. He will remove her impurities.[6] He will recycle the discarded plastic back into brand new polymer bills. He will restore His wife to her faithfulness and He will deliver her with justice. Even with all of the sins that Israel is committing in stepping out on God and by treading on the downtrodden; the faithful, Verse 27, the penitent ones, will be delivered with righteousness (TSA doc 10). No matter how bad they have become and no matter how much the faithlessness of the nation costs the people, the penitent ones will be delivered with righteousness (TSA doc 7).

It is the same with us: no matter how bad we have become, no matter how selfish we have become, no matter how much we have put ourselves first, no matter how much we have chased after what we want in life rather than what God wants of our life, no matter how much we have ignored our Lord by ignoring the needs of the people around us, God is still calling us back. And as we repent, as we love Him and as we love our neighbour, as we return to Him, as we seek Him, we will find Him and then He will purge away all our dross making as pure as the purest silver, as faithful as the most faithful spouse, and as righteous as His most righteous city.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com 

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[1] Michael Ramsay, 'Isaiah 1:1-20: White as Snow,’ presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, (Sheepspeak.com: Swift Current, SK: 12 Jan 2014). Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2014/01/isaiah-11-20-white-as-snow.html

[2] Cf. Gene M. Tucker, NIB VI: The Book of Isaiah 1-39, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tenn: 2001), 60.

[3] Cf. Walter Brueggemann, ‘Isaiah 1-39,’ Westminster Bible Companion (Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, Kentucky, 1998), 21-22.

[4] Cf. Reuven Kimelman, "Prophecy as Arguing with God and the Ideal of Justice," Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 68, no. 1 (2013): 22.

[5] J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1999 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 20), S. 57

[6] Cf. Geoffrey W. Grogan, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Isaiah/Exposition of Isaiah/I. Oracles Concerning Judah and Jerusalem (1:1-12:6)/A. God's Charge Against His People (1:1-31), Book Version: 4.0.2