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Dear Church,
I am aware that the sermon from this past Sunday was not an easy or comfortable message. I have heard it said, “Faith should not be about politics.” I agree that to believe and trust in God is not a political act but rather a personal conviction; but, Christianity is very much about public affairs. Politics refers to “the affairs of the city” and “influencing other people on a civic or individual level”.* How we live as a people of faith in covenant with God among the people of many nations is foundational to our Biblical witness.
When God led the people out of slavery and into the promise land, the people cried out to God for a leader to tell them what to do. God declared that God was all the kingship they needed. The cries continued until God offered a compromise of a political system to manage the community in terms of public matters. And so, David was anointed as King. (1Sam 8:5-7 & 15:2-3)
The Old Testament prophets spoke “in the name of the Lord” to kings, rulers, landlords, property owners, judges, the wealthy and religious leaders. They spoke on behalf of the poor, the homeless, the hungry, widows, orphans and the dispossessed which would have included conversations around social justice, war and peace, economic inequality, land, labor, debt, fairness, immigration, and more. Biblical prophecy speaks to a future dimension of shalom and God’s vision for all of humanity to live in peace, harmony, salvation, justice, blessing and truth. (Ezekiel 34:25-29a/Isaiah 11:6-9a)*
Jesus, recognizing his anointing, read from Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to liberate the oppressed,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:16-19)
The “year of the Lord’s favor” was a leveling of the social and economic classes. Every 50 years, all Israelites would be restored to their ancestral land to allow for “the sons to not pay for the sins of the father” in perpetuity. (Leviticus 25:10). Like the prophets before him, Jesus in word and deed, stood with the poor, the vulnerable and the people at the margins of society.
As Jesus rode a donkey colt into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he was offering a new political construct for all people – the kingdom of God. The Roman Empire conquered and ruled with the politics of coercion and violence often allied with the religious leaders. Jesus proclaimed a kingdom with the politics of service, humility, forgiveness and nonviolent love.
Jesus wept over the religious leaders and people of faith because they did not know the way of peace. The knew dogma, law, social norms and defensible rights, but not the way of peace. They dreamed of a restored kingdom of dominating power and God dreams of a kingdom of shalom.
Sermons are proclaimed with the hope that conversations will be incited. I hope we can come together and do the work of faith – discuss and consider what God dreams and how we can be part of proclaiming, in word and deed, the reign of God has come near. On Sunday, April 8th at 2:30 pm, we will have a time for sharing, discussing, considering and honoring. We do not all have to agree on dogma, law, social norms and defensible rights, but we are called to lead with peace. I look forward to vibrant, passionate and faithful dialogue.
Shalom,
Pastor Carol
*Adam Erickson, The Politics of Palm Sunday, Sojourner Magazine
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