“The issue is hatred…”

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

Philippians 2:1-13

Matthew 21:28-32

Psalm 25:3-9

COLLECT:

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

In the name of the Father (+) and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This last week has been slightly hair-raising. There are so many exciting things going on in the parish. And there was the expectation that the Rev. Fred Phelps and his demonstrators were going to be here.

I confess that for the last few days, I’ve been doing something unusual. I’ve been thanking God for the Rev. Fred. Oh, not for the fact that his people take the national hymn “America the Beautiful” and twist it into “America the burning.” Or because he thinks that women who cut their hair short will be damned. Or because he says that God-Hates-America and deserved the attacks of 9-11 since we don’t persecute gays and lesbians. I’ve been thankful for the unhappy Rev. Phelps because he has given us as a congregation, and the wider community, a chance to stand up and say loudly and clearly, “No! No, we will not be defined by whom we hate. NO! We will not be blackmailed into hiding who we are. NO! We will not stop living the Gospel of love, that we have been given.” And people around us—even people who don’t agree with us—have been moved to offer support. Like a man who made clear to us that he was not of our mind, but delivered some sandwiches to us as a sign of solidarity, because he “didn’t like what they were going to do to us.”

What a calamity for Rev. Phelps! It’s a worst-case scenario! People were welcoming his visit, because HE was doing all the work of mobilizing the community. He brought us wonderful publicity! Thanks, Fred!

I am reminded of St. Peter’s comment: “Rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.” (I Peter 4:13) I am reminded of Jesus’ command to rejoice when we are persecuted for his sake. This week, some of us had the tiniest taste of the joy that the early Christians must have felt at the prospect of being persecuted for their belief in Christ. Actually, I have no doubt that that is exactly what Rev. Phelps is feeling as well. He looks for opportunities to get himself persecuted.

Obviously, we cannot carry the comparison with martyrdom too far, because however uncomfortable it would be to face a shrieking crowd or have to see ugly signs, we will probably not be in danger of our lives as were our fathers and mothers in faith. But we shouldn’t underestimate the pain it causes to see and hear and feel that you are the target of unrestrained and focused hatred. A hatred that looks at you and declares you to be utterly loathsome and vile, and even tries to make you believe that God hates you in the same way. Whether you’re Muslim or Christian or Hindu or gay or straight or black or white or any label. Being the target of hatred hurts.

Let’s be clear. I am not Not NOT saying that the demonstrators who were coming are evil. You may agree or not agree with Rev. Phelps’ political principles. That’s not the issue. This issue is that this kind of hatred is evil.

I rarely use this word, because it is so serious a one. But, hatred is true tool of evil. And it is the source of very great evil in our world. It is an expression of evil to say, “God hates you,” when God has told us over and over that God is love. I repeat: I am not saying that the people planning to picket us are evil. I expect that they believe as firmly as we do that they are right. But something is not right. I chuckled as much as the rest of us about the possibility of giving the demonstrators tea and cookies to send a message that we are expressing God’s love. But it scares me, having to come into contact with evil. This kind of hatred, cloaking itself in the mantle of religion, has done very evil things over the millennia that humankind has kept records. And sadly, it continues to flourish in our times. Little bits and pieces of it flourish in each of us.

This is the real issue I’m concerned with, so let us leave Rev. Phelps to God. Many years ago, my spiritual director told me, “The more light there is in a place, the more darkness is drawn to it. You defeat darkness, not by fighting it—which only gives it more power—but by increasing the light.” Which brings me to the Gospel for today.

Jesus is preaching a very stern, pointed sermon to people who think that they are God’s special favorites. He is telling people that things are not what they seem. Just because someone appears to be doing the right thing, because they speak politely, or are well mannered, or follow a socially accepted set of rules, that’s no indication that they are doing what God wants them to do. Conversely, just because someone behaves crudely or comes from a bad family or has a terrible history, that’s no indication that they are out of favor with God. Jesus says, “You think you’re so great. But I’m telling you, even people who steal and cheat and sell their bodies will be getting into heaven before you, because whatever they have done in the past, they repented, turned their lives around and believed.”

All of us are faced with the same challenge. We can feel good about the parish we are building together. We can feel good about being welcoming. We can feel good about the fact that we are willing to be vilified for what we believe. And I am tremendously proud of you all for these things. I sincerely believe that we are a light to the community.

But that’s not enough. Let’s not be too quick to congratulate ourselves. As Paul says, “Don’t think of yourselves more highly than you ought to think.” It’s not enough to “have done” something. Probably the people that Jesus was talking with had done many good and noble things. But they slipped into complacency. Their goodness became routine. Their spiritual lives went on auto-pilot. And they missed the messages that God was sending. On the other hand, the tax-collectors and prostitutes—the worst sort of people—got the word and responded. So Jesus started preaching: “Wake up! Don’t fall asleep!” God is calling you!

We often laugh when we say, “God works in mysterious ways.” And what could be a more mysterious way than the Rev. Phelps? Do you hear the message God is sending through him? I hear God saying, “You are doing the right thing. You are being a vehicle of love to all my people. The fact that mud is being thrown at you is a sign. You’re not hiding your light. Everybody can see it. So keep at it! Rejoice!” I hear God speaking to us in the words of today’s collect: “Keep on running toward me. Keep praying. Keep your focus on me. You’ve got a taste of the heavenly treasure, keep on, and you’ll achieve the whole treasure that I’ve promised you.” God says to us, “Keep turning up the light—let more people see it. The more mud there is in the air, the brighter your light will shine.”

Remember the hymn we sing at the Foot-washing on Holy Thursday? “Where there is mercy and love, God is there.” And the converse is true: where there is hatred, there is no room for God.

Our preparations this week have given us the opportunity to think about how we can react in general in a Christ-like manner when we are confronted with hatred—one of the main tools of evil. We should not fight the evil directly—because then we focus on it, giving it more power to distract us from the good. But instead, day by day, if we keep our eyes on Christ, moving deeper into God’s mercy, becoming more full of God’s grace, and expressing more and more of God’s love, evil will flee from us. It’s the Gospel truth—the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can not overcome it. Where there is mercy and love, there is no possibility for hate.

AMEN.