Lent-Day 4
Lent 2010: A Season for Listening
Day 4- Listening to the Sermon on the Plane: Part 3
“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.” – Luke 6:22-23 (NRSV)
“Smile when you call me that!” Might be our response when we are called “Jesus Freaks“ or “Religious Fanatics” by those who see our smudged foreheads and Lenten disciplines as some type of threat to their spiritual atrophy.
There is no blessing in being hated, excluded, reviled or defamed for being a jerk! It is not hard to get people to dislike you, some will insist on it regardless of what you do. There are some who lay claim to this blessing when challenged about their behavior that while done in Christ’s name is far from Christ like (we can all think of a few).
To take this passage lightly is to ignore the pain and loneliness that can come with being Jesus’ disciples in the world. This is not a license to provoke anger, but a promise that our wounds of righteousness will be mended and our scars of faithfulness will be healed. The dangers both real and imagined pose a formidable obstacle for those who would follow the path of the cross. We cannot bear the thought of going to the altar to pray in our own churches for fear of the eyes of our own brothers and sisters! How much more do we fear the critical eyes of strangers who (quite correctly) see our faith as a challenge and threat to the way they live our lives. Lord, help us!
Today we focus on seeking God’s strength to live prophetic lives. We ask for the bravery to be the people God has called us to be all the time and in every place we go. We remember that respecting others does not mean we have to give up our own beliefs and identity. Perhaps this Sunday we will find ourselves filled with the courage to offer the prayer to God that, we have felt pressing against the backs of our teeth for years, but have been afraid to utter. This Sunday let us gather together around the altar together. Who knows, we may not be there alone for very long!?! – Rev. John Mattox
Let us pray-
Lord, it is not easy to feel blessed when we are openly hated.
It is not easy to feel loved when we are excluded.
But your love is greater than anything we could have.
Help us to be people of integrity
in the face of the hate we may suffer
on account of you.
Lord, may we never know what it truly means
to suffer as a result being called “Christian”.
Amen.
– Rev. Katie Mattox