Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8 Proper 17C
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Church, Cupertino, CA
I recently read a book by Rueben Job, a Christian minister and retreat leader. He grew up on a farm in North Dakota. His farm was surrounded by huge cottonwood trees. These trees would often block the windmill from light breezes that would otherwise have turned the windmill to face the wind, thus permitting it to do its assigned work of pumping water for the farm. When the breeze was too light to turn the huge fan into the wind, his father would climb the tall tower and physically turn the fan and tail of the windmill until it faced directly into the wind. Properly positioned, the slightest breeze was translated into life-giving water.
The Christian journey is a journey of positioning ourselves so that we can receive the life giving grace of the Holy Spirit. It is an intentional journey of turning towards God. So let's take a look at today's reading from The Letter to the Hebrews and see how we might position ourselves in order to more fully experience mutual love in our community of faith.
A disciple of Paul, sometime between 60-95 A. D., probably wrote the Letter to the Hebrews. The congregation was probably a Jewish-Christian community in Rome. This community of faith was going through a crisis. They had grown lax in their attendance at worship and their commitment to the faith was waning. It was a difficult time for these Christians of the first century because many of them were experiencing persecution, torture, and hostility. The "Second Coming of Christ" had not happened as expected and people were getting antsy. Perhaps many of them decided that it was just too difficult to practice the Christian faith in such hostile territory and thus were returning to Judaism. Whatever the situation may have been, the pressures and disappointments of every day life were beginning to tear the fabric of the community. Thus in today's reading, we hear a list of moral imperatives and instructions on how they were to treat each other in community.
The first imperative was a call for mutual love (i.e. philadelphia- a kind of brotherly love that engenders deep friendships). The members of the congregation were urged to cultivate a genuine sense of community among themselves. On a concrete level, this love for fellow Christians meant extending hospitality not only to themselves, but also to strangers, especially to Christian travelers who visited their community. It was important for them to stick together. Another way of showing love was to visit their fellow Christians who were imprisoned or ill-treated for the sake of the gospel. This was no easy task since all visitors who ministered to those in prison were held suspect and could end up there themselves.
The list goes on, moving from one topic to another. The members of the congregation were to hold marriage in high esteem and to remain faithful to their spouses. They were not to be obsessed about money. And they were to follow in the footsteps of faithful leaders who led a holy life. The New Testament is full of guidance on how to live a holy life, reflective of the spirit of Christ. What we heard today is only a partial list. But note that mutual love is at its core.
Recently I did some research on the Bruderhof Communities. These communal, Christian communities are scattered all over the world. They base their ethics on the Sermon on the Mount and follow in the footsteps of the early Christian communities who shared their goods in common. They live, work, and pray together day after day. It can be difficult to live generously and lovingly in community with so many different families, all having personalities of their own. So these Bruderhof communities have come up with their own list of imperatives and instructions on how to live in community. Like the Letter to the Hebrews, mutual love is at its core. Let me read you an excerpt from the house rule concerning gossip:
"There is no law but love. Love is joy in others. What, then, is anger at them? Words of love convey the joy we have in the presence of brothers and sisters. It is out of the question to speak about another person in a spirit of irritation or vexation. There must never be talk, either in open remarks or by insinuation, against any brother or sister, or against their individual characteristics -- and under no circumstances behind their back. Gossiping in one's family is no exception. Without this rule of silence there can be no loyalty and thus no community.
Direct address is the only way possible; it is the spontaneous service we owe anyone whose weaknesses cause a negative reaction in us. An open word spoken directly to another person deepens friendship and will not be resented. Only when two people do not come to an agreement quickly is it necessary to draw in a third person whom both of them trust. In this way they can be led to a solution that unites them on the highest and deepest levels."
The practice of Christianity is about transformation. It is not an intellectual assent to a set of external doctrines. And part of this transformation is to become like Christ. What does that look like? Today's readings instruct us to forsake arrogance and pride; to be humble and generous; to care for those on the margins; to treat one another with respect and honor. For the Bruderhof communities, learning how to communicate in a healthy manner is part of that transformation. Holy communication is one of the ways that the members of the Bruderhof communities position themselves towards God and thus engender mutual love.
If purifying our hearts and caring for one another summarize today's lessons, we at St. Jude's need to answer the following questions: What needs to be on our list of imperatives? How should we position ourselves so our love for one another is contagious and life giving? If the author of the Letter to the Hebrews were to write to us today, how would he advise us? I would like to hear your reflections on these questions. But for now, here are a few of mine:
We need to slow down and take the time to care for each other. Community is a vital part of staying healthy and faithful. Instead of rushing off from meetings and worship, take some time to minister to someone in need or engender a friendship with someone who is new to our community. The key idea here is to listen carefully and to share one another's burdens.
Our young mothers are having a tough time in raising their children. Wouldn't it be grand if our older and wiser members (who have already gone through those difficult child raising years) were to mentor our young families. The extended family who once did this (i.e. grandparents, aunts, cousins) no longer lives in town and young parents are having to struggle on their own.
We need to spend more time in prayer and Bible Study. If we truly want to experience transformation, we need to know what a transformed life looks like and how to get there. Think of how much intentionality goes into making a person a soldier. The same goes for maturing in the faith. We need to pray to God to "graft in our hearts the love of God; to increase in us true religion; to nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works." (Today's Collect)
So during the quiet time following this sermon, please reflect on how we can best engender mutual love in our community.
"Bless are the pure in heart, for they shall see our God. The secret of the Lord is theirs, their soul is Christ's abode." (Hymn 656)
| Updated 9/02/01 |
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