Third Sunday before Lent A              St. Ninian’s                                                     20/2/11
Leviticus 19: 1-2; 9-18                       1 Corinthians 3:10-11; 16 -2                     Matthew 5:38-48
        
I don’t know about you but whenever I say “Oh she looks like…” Most people say, “No, she’s nothing like…” I always seem to get it wrong. It is a nightmare when people are always comparing you to some one else. “Oh she’s the spitting image of her dad.” Compliment or insult? Take your pick. But it is not only similarity in looks that people compare, h no they have to compare your behaviour as well. Lots of our young people have had to endure parent’s night this week. I wonder how many of them were told. Oh he’s nothing like his big sister. She was brilliant.” When I go to play at Fiddlers Rallies, people always talk about m dad they were so pleased to know him and they compare me to my dad. Unfortunately not for my ability to play! Often our children do have similar behaviour as well as looks and sometimes our children do things that remind us so much of ourselves when we were that age we either laugh or cry.
Are you like your Father? I don't mean your earthly father but your Heavenly Father? Can people look at your life and see the same features in you that they see in your Heavenly Father? Can people look at you and see glimpses of your Father in Heaven? And when they look at your life do they say "I know who their Father is." Or I wish I knew their father.
Jesus told his disciples how to act to "be children of your Father in heaven." So how should we act to reflect who we are as children of God?
Firstly Jesus said, "if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you." (39-42) All of this is under the heading of "do not resist evildoers." Each of the examples tells the disciples to do more than simply not fight back. Rather it tells them to do more.
One might think that this would lead to being used as a doormat. I have known people who thought that Christians were supposed to do whatever they asked them to. They thought Christians were door mats that they could walk all over.
There is a deliberate contrast with the world's point of view. The world says "Do unto others before they can do it unto you." The world says "Look out for number one." The world says "Don't get mad, get even."
But is that how God acts toward us? Does God seek to get us back for all the things we have done to God and to God's children? No! Not only does God not try to get us back he actually gave himself. The human race slapped God on the cheek and tried to hijack the faith He gave His children, yet God sent his Son to die for that same human race. Vanessa talked last week about Love. This week I pointed out to the GB that the verse in John 3: 16 For God so loved the world tat he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not die but have everlasting life has an acrostic Valentine in it. If God's Son can die for the very people doing violence to him perhaps we need to sacrifice for the people that do violence in our world. Watching 100 years of Girl Guiding which I taped a long time ago I was reminded that not only should we give tie to others it should be sacrificial time not just whatever we have left over. Then we will truly be children of our Father in Heaven.
The next thing Jesus says seems to get to the heart of the matter. Jesus said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" I once heard the question asked “What should I pray for my enemies – a sow death or a quick one?” Jesus goes on, "God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous." Now in the Holy Land rain was and is a blessing. So God blesses both the good and the bad with sun and rain, both of which are necessary for life. If God blesses both, then we too should bless them by praying for them. Those prayers can include prayers that they straighten out their lives but maybe it is us which needs to straighten out our lives. Often I have fund myself praying for something to change and God says, well if you change this situation will improve. But mainly we should pray for our enemies’ ultimate well being, physical and spiritual. This certainly leads to a more forgiving spirit in me.
In contrast with the world which says you should love your friends and hate others, Jesus said, "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?" (46-47) are we children of the world like the tax collectors and sinners who love only those who are part of their inner circle? Or are we children of our Heavenly Father who loves all equally? Our love should reach beyond the boundaries of our family and friends and even those who are nice to us. Then we can be children of our heavenly father.
None of this is easy. In fact it is hard to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. It is difficult to love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you. It was OK for Jesus. After all he was God come in the flesh - the incarnation of God! It is a little harder for us flawed human beings.
But what Jesus says next is harder still. He said, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Wait just a minute here! Nobody's perfect - well, except God and Jesus. How can we be perfect?
John Wesley taught a doctrine of "Christian Perfection." He believed that if Jesus told us to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect, then he would make it possible, by Grace, for us to be perfect. We will always make mistakes so we may not be perfect in that sense. But by the grace of God and with his help we can resist the sin we know of in the here and now and do the good we are aware of at this time. Like a child we can resemble our Heavenly Father but only as a small child resembles their parent. A copy of the parent but an immature one. Hence we can reflect the perfection of our Heavenly Father but only as children - an immature reflection.
Are you like your heavenly Father? Do you reflect his love and grace? Do you sacrifice for those who do wrong? Do you turn the other cheek like Jesus did? Do you love your enemies? Will you pray for their salvation? Will you go out of your way to love them or will we be mistaken for a child of the world? Could someone look at you and think you are the offspring of selfishness or greed or materialism. Of course we are limited by our own humanness. But do we want to love in the way that we are capable of as immature children? Do we want to be like our Father in heaven? God is perfect in love and he will make us perfect in love if we try to follow his commands. Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you. Then we will be truly children of our Father in Heaven.