Proclaim from the Housetops

Based on Matthew 10:24-39
First delivered June 21, 2020
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr 

            Here is a review of some of what has been happening over the past few weeks:

* rebranding of Aunt Jemima pancake syrup and now Uncle Ben’s Rice is looking at rebranding

* removal of statues honoring southern rebels who fought to preserve slavery and European explorers driven by greed and the exploitation of land and peoples, including Christopher Columbus

* the banning of the rebel flag at NASCAR events

* police officers being fired and charged with murder for putting their knee on the neck of a man for almost nine minutes while the man was begging for his life or for shooting in the back and killing someone who was running away

* law enforcement no longer allowed to use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds of peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights

* businesses closing so that employees can celebrate Juneteenth

* the Supreme Court ruling that it is unconstitutional to fire somebody solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity

* demonstrations across the country for weeks lifting up the value of human life and demands for a society that is more just, more equal, more loving, that says “no” to racism, oppression, white supremacy, and brutality

            In Matthew 10:27, we hear Jesus say to his disciples, “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.” What we are seeing in our nation right now are a lot of people shouting from the housetops what has been whispered in their conscience and what has been spoken within the dark recesses of confusion and ignorance. All those quiet thoughts when seeing on our TV screens or have even experienced in our own lives, acts of injustice we have witnessed, and that voice in our head saying “this isn’t right” have piled up so much that now people are out there with their signs shouting “enough is enough!” Those questions of “why are they angry?” “Why are they protesting?” “why are they always screaming about racism, after all, we elected a black president, haven’t we solved racism?” “why are they so scared of the police?” “Why are they saying, ‘black lives matter’? Don’t all lives matter?” These questions are being answered. People are beginning to listen to the stories and experiences that explain why people are afraid of the police, why they are moved to protest. People are hearing the stories of those who have to deal with racism every single day. The blinders of white supremacy, of whiteness as normal and people of color as “ethnic”, the ignorance of what is the daily reality of injustice for so many people, it’s all becoming clear. People are beginning to see how insidious systemic racism affects all of us. It dehumanizes and distorts all of us. In different ways, we all suffer under the yoke of white supremacy. More people are starting to understand this. And they are making a stand. They are stepping out and publicly proclaiming their commitment to be anti-racist. A real movement is afoot in our nation right now. Is this the start of a moral revival in our land? Are we experiencing another Great Awakening?

            It should not be surprising that not everyone is on board with this massive call for a society that is more just and equitable, where everyone can thrive regardless of the color of their skin or what zip code they live in. There are those who mock, dismiss, or find threatening these calls for a moral reform of our society. We see gangs of white people armed with assault weapons showing up at Black Lives Matter demonstrations for the purpose of intimidation. We see counter demonstrations and petitions demanding that statues of slave owners and leaders of genocide and exploitation remain displayed in the public square as the heroes they are and for the heritage they represent. We see people out there painting on buildings “white lives matter” and mocking the murder of George Floyd.

            Are we in a moment where every person needs to make a decision about whose side you are on? Are you on the side of conserving the status quo or are you on the side of transforming our society to become more just and equitable, a society that finally dismantles racism and gross inequity in health care, the legal system, housing, education, the economy? This isn’t even a question about Republican or Democrat, conservative or progressive. It is a question of right or wrong. This moment is raising a moral question. Are you on the side of dehumanization, oppression and death or are you on the side of humanity, liberation and life?  I believe this is a time of decision.

            Maybe for us the better question is, are you committed to living out the way of Jesus that leads to healing, new life and true freedom or will you deny the way of Jesus, and instead give your allegiance and support to a society that systematically dehumanizes and exploits people? Will you acknowledge yourself as a follower of Jesus or will you deny Jesus?

            The Gospel of Matthew was given to a church that was experiencing persecution. As followers of the way of Jesus, which is spelled out in the sermon on the mount, the followers of Jesus were mocked by people in the community, disowned by their families, and sometimes suffered violent abuse and even death. They needed a word of encouragement. The passage we hear this morning is that word of encouragement for a persecuted church. If Jesus was persecuted and even put to death, the followers of Jesus should expect nothing less. If they experience family strife and are even cut off from their families, they should expect it because Jesus came not to bring peace but a sword that cuts the family ties that bind. If they feel beaten down, isolated, and discarded by society, they are to remember that if God is aware of the death of one sparrow, how much more will God be aware of what is happening to them, those who are of much greater value than many sparrows. To God, their lives matter. If they stick with it and acknowledge Jesus before others, then Jesus will say their names before God. This whole passage is a word of encouragement to a persecuted church committed to the way of Jesus as described in Matthew 5-7.

            What is that way described in Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount? I invite you to go back and read those chapters again, to be reminded of the radical way of life that followers of Jesus are called to live. In general, the way of Jesus is a way that deeply values every human being as one made in the image of God. It is a way marked by humility, mercy, healing, forgiveness, giving life, blessing, restoration, reconciliation, where the arrogant are humbled and the humiliated are lifted up, the first are last and the last are first, a way of liberation and freedom from demonic powers that imprison and bind. It is a way that sets the captives free: those who are captive to addiction, to their past, to prejudice and racial hatred, to white supremacy, to shame and self-loathing, to anything that dehumanizes, that crushes the spirit, that sucks the life out, everything that undermines life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

            To say it even more succinctly, the way of Jesus is the way of life, of love, of redemption, of justice, of freedom. It is a way of life that we are being challenged to affirm and live out in this moment in our nation’s history, right now. The clarion call cannot be missed.

            This past Wednesday, I attended the monthly gathering of pastors here on the Westside. We were joined by a group of other Westside pastors who have come together for a conversation about how to foster racial reconciliation and how the church can lead in that effort. They knew that a place to begin is to join together in prayer, acknowledging how the church has been complicit in racism and with a firm belief that heart change and reconciliation is possible in Jesus. These pastors have organized an event they call Westside Unity Prayer Walk. This prayer walk will take place next Sunday, 3 p.m., starting at the Veritas church on West Broad and Terrace. From there we will pray and walk up Broad Street. Where the walk will end is still being determined. Wherever the walk ends there will be a time of prayer and simply being together as Christians. The guiding value of this prayer walk is that in Christ Jesus there is unity, that faith in Jesus can bring people together and can heal all divisions. It is past time for the church of Jesus Christ to demonstrate to the world what unity looks like. This prayer walk is a public witness of the unity we have as followers of Jesus, regardless of any labels or identities we hold. If you are able, I encourage you to join me in this prayer walk next Sunday.

            Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” This is not meant to say that we need to be afraid of God. This is meant to be a word of encouragement to stay committed to the way of Jesus in the face of resistance and even persecution, even when your life is put at risk. I hear this verse and think of the mountaintop speech Martin Luther King gave the evening before he was gunned down. He said, “I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”

            So, do not be afraid of those who are filled with racial hatred, who reject equal justice under the law, who believe this nation should be “whites only” and people of color should just go back to wherever they came from. Instead fear God, the God of justice, the God who hears the cry of the poor and needy, the God who breaks the rod of the oppressor, the God of love, life, and creation, the God who knows your name and who recognizes your value as much greater than many sparrows, in fact, values you so much that God sent his Son to die on the cross for your salvation, so you can be set free from the power of sin and death and live a life of love and freedom. Do not fear anyone. Keep your eyes focused on the glory of the Lord who is coming.

            In Christ we are set free to live a life of love. With the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to live our lives after the example of Jesus. As we hear in vs. 25, it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher. By God’s grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to live our lives like Jesus, to love like Jesus loves. Now is the time to put our love into action. Now is the time to proclaim from the housetops the way of Jesus. Now is the time, for the sake of Jesus and for the sake of the world, to lose the lives we once lived so that we can find our life as we have always been meant to live it, a life freed from white supremacy, freed from racial prejudice, freed from sin and death.