Pentecost 19, proper 25, Year A, Sun Oct 23, 2011

Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46

As the Israelites entered the plains of Moab, Moses climbed the mountains opposite Jericho, and from there he could see the promised land. From the top of the mountain, God said to Moses, now you can see the land, but you will not cross the Jordan River and you will not go there yourself.

We can just imagine the gentle sadness of that moment, when Moses saw the long-awaited goal but knew that he would not live to walk on that land himself. The next generation of Israelites would cross over and live in the land. And the mantle of leadership would pass from Moses to Joshua son of Nun.

In the Gospel reading for today, we are also on the cusp of transition in the life of Jesus and his disciples. The reading ends with Jesus trumping the Pharisees, yet again, and after this they did not “dare to ask him any more questions.” (Matt 22:46) The discussion and debate are over, the questions ended, and the authorities decided from this time on that he was just too dangerous. This was the beginning of his journey to the cross.

We can be certain that the disciples didn’t see it coming. The Israelites could see Moses getting older and older, but they may not have wanted to see the inevitable change in their leadership, or at least they didn’t know when it would happen. It is human nature to resist change at least to some degree.

Yet all organizations do change, with or without a change in leadership. There is a life cycle for organizations that moves through a period of decline before there can be a rebirth. Sometimes a seed must fall to the earth and die before it can bring forth new fruit. The seed itself is the core, that which needs to be identified, cherished, and preserved. It is the central mission and the most precious heritage, which helps a group stay together, stay focused, and make the transition to the next stage of life.

As Jesus neared the end of his ministry, he gave final teachings that would become the core of the Christian faith. While it was customary for Jewish teachers to summarize their teachings in easy-to-remember formulas, the core teaching of Jesus was unique to him. As far as we know, he was the only one to put together the two parts of the “golden rule” in exactly the way that he did.

He drew the golden rule from two separate writings in the Hebrew scripture. First, he recited from Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” His audience might also have known the verses which follow: “Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut 6:6-9).

Then Jesus drew the second part of the golden rule from Leviticus: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord” (Lev 19:18). In Leviticus, the neighbor is among “your people”; for Jesus, the neighbor was anyone, including also the foreigner and stranger.

The core teaching became: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love God with all your being, and love your neighbor in the context of loving God. These are two equal commandments, of equal importance and inseparable. For Jesus, they were the foundation for all the rest of the Jewish Law and prophecy. For Christians, they are our calling, and an impossible yet perpetual challenge, that will always lead us to Christ.

When we love God, we are also leaning towards loving all of creation, including our neighbor. And when a “neighbor” is thirsty, or hungry, or suffering – we all take part in some way in that suffering. There is no compromise: our “neighbor” is any other human being; loving our “neighbor” may require all the effort of learning and listening and trying to walk in another’s shoes. Then, we can begin to learn how to love the farther neighbor, the stranger neighbor, the less loveable neighbor, even the outright hostile neighbor. When we strive to love another, any other, with all our hearts and mind and strength, then inevitably we are learning to love God.

Before the end of his earthly life, Jesus amended the golden rule, to stretch the standard of love even farther. Not only are we to love our far-away neighbor as ourselves, but also we are to love with the self-giving love of Christ. His final commandment was: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34b).

This is the core of Christian faith and life. This is the center, which always holds and always can carry us through any life challenges or change. This is the standard beyond our humble abilities, and yet it is possible in Christ.

The annual convention of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina met yesterday, and it is apparent that among us we have many different ideas and convictions. What was stressed at the convention, however, was our common ground in Christ, and the discussion focused mostly on core areas of ministry.

I can say honestly that I am very pleased to be here in USC during this time, and for the leadership of Bishop Waldo. The differences that we have will stretch us, challenge us to look deeply in our hearts and ponder our faith, and, God willing, will draw us back to the core principle of Christian faith. Above all else, we are called to love God and one another as love of self, and even as Christ loved us. We are called to love with all our hearts, and souls, and minds.

We may well not be able, always, to do this perfectly. But whenever we come together to pray together, serve together, and to share the Eucharistic feast together, we come welcome Christ to dwell in us and we in him. We are all accepted into life in him and drawn together into his kingdom. Whatever in the world attempts to pull us apart or to dampen the spirit of faith, we have a source for renewal of commitment to faith in Christ -- and to one another.

As we come together to share in the body and blood of Christ, we can no longer be hungry or thirsty, or alone, or separate. We come to meet and to receive the one who lived and died as one of us and for us, the one who loved us first with all His heart and soul and mind and strength. Then we become truly one in the love of neighbor and truly one in the love of God.