CALL TO WORSHIP: The Aphorisms of Jesus

The reign of God is not coming as you hope to catch sight of it. No one will say "Here it is" or "There it is," for the Reign of God is now in your midst…

Look how the lilies neither spin nor weave, and yet I tell you Solomon in all his grandeur was never robed like one of them…

Where your treasure lies, your heart will lie there too…

No one lights a lamp to put it under a bowl, but on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light…

Wisdom is vindicated by all her children…

Figs are not gathered from thorns, and grapes are not picked from a bramble bush…

Judge not, and you will not be judged yourselves…

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

--Luke

READING: "Lord, make me a channel of thy peace—that where there is hatred, I may bring love—that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness—that where there is discord, I may bring harmony—that where there is error, I may bring truth—that where there is doubt, I may bring faith—that where there is despair, I may bring hope—that where there are shadows, I may bring light—that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted—to understand, than to be understood—to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen."

A UU LOOKS AT THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT:

WHAT THE BEATITUDES MIGHT HAVE TO SAY TO US IN THE 21ST CENTURY

During this year's sunset talks at SWUUSI, which is our church's Southwestern Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute, held each July at Lake Texoma, the Rev. Arthur Severance, minister of the First UU Church of San Antonio, told the following story:

"As part of an Interfaith community project, A Baptist pastor, a Unitarian Universalist minister and a Pagan High Priestess decide that in order to improve relations in the community, they will go on a fishing trip together on a local pond. They're out in the boat, and the Pagan priestess excuses herself to go to the bathroom back on the shore. She gets out, walks across the water back to shore, and then walks back across the water to the boat.

The Baptist pastor looks in amazement, looks to the heavens and utters a silent prayer. They continue fishing. It comes on about noon time, and the UU minister realizes they left their lunches back on shore. So he gets up, walks across the water to the shore, retrieves the lunches, and walks back across the water to the boat.

The Baptist pastor, now completely amazed, and a little bit righteous, thinks, "not to be outdone by two heathens, I can do that too!" So he gets up, excuses himself to go to the bathroom, takes a step out of the boat and promptly sinks to the bottom.

While he's flailing around in the water, the UU minister looks at the priestess and says, "Do you think we should have told him about the rocks?"

The Pagan priestess replies, "What rocks?"

Many of you were probably surprised when you saw the title of my sermon today. As UU's, we seldom use the Bible, though over the last few years we have, from time to time, been reminded of it. But we have also had many sermons based on texts from Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism and other sources. On choir night at SWUUSI, in the audience I saw a couple who are both on the faculty at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, where I also teach. I spoke with them and learned they were there to hear a friend they had known in graduate school sing in the choir. In the two minutes left to us before the choir performed, they wanted me to explain our church to them. Finding I was having difficulty doing so, the man, Richard, asked if we use the Bible as a text. I told him that we don't have A text, but that we use many texts, including the Bible. After the performance, which had included songs from many spiritual sources, Richard said to me, "I see what you mean."

I'm not a theologian, even though I entered college with the idea of becoming a Baptist preacher. I soon changed that goal and have spent little time studying the Bible for over forty years. Some of you might expect that, as a literature professor, I would look at the Beatitudes merely as a work of literature. I don't plan to do that either. Rather, I want to speak as a lay UU, who thinks the Beatitudes might be a serious approach to living a practical life of the spirit. Since as UU's we don't have one certain text, nor profess a single belief, but cling to our freedom to believe what we wish, perhaps we can focus on what seems to me to be our primary binding thought: learning better ways to enrich our spirit, from whatever sources we can find these.

I do not want to get into the controversies concerning whether Jesus was just a man, the Son of God or some other divine being. Most people today seem to accept that there was a man named Jesus who lived about 2,000 years ago, who was a great teacher. I think His teachings are pretty well summed in chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew. Many of the same ideas are also found in Luke's account in chapter 6, though verses 3 through 11 of Matthew, chapter 5, are the most often remembered of the "Blessed be's". Some of the more detailed ideas brought out in the rest of that chapter and the following two seem to me to speak to us quite directly today, but I think all the three chapters could be summed up in spirit in verses 21 through 26:

"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny."

Anger seems to me to be one of the main problems of our society, from the highway one-fingered salute when somebody cuts you off, to people actually killing each other over some minor infraction, to other murders and crimes of violence. Pick up any newspaper, read the articles and letters, and see an overwhelming amount of anger, not only directed from one individual to another but to groups, ethnic nationals, ideologies and life styles. The current debate over same-sex marriage, and some people's hateful reaction to the idea, made comedian Jon Stewart do a bit on the Daly Show the other night, in which he said if same-sex marriage becomes legal it is going to be mandatory that everyone marry a person of the same sex. Obviously, he said, that must be true. Or else why would people care?

At some of our sporting events, fans become so angry with other fans that they actually become violent toward them. We're all familiar with the "soccer-mom" trial in Texas and the "hockey-father" murder in the Northeast. I believe we have the highest percentage of our population in prison of any society in history. In the last ten years, Texas has led in executions of those prisoners. Oklahoma is number one in the percentage of its women in prison.

Even in towns as small as Sherman, Denison and Durant, we have to have Crisis Centers to protect women and children who have been victims of violence from their own spouses and fathers in what should be a loving relationship. Another supposedly loving relationship involves some New Testament churches. If there is one message that Jesus taught us most strongly, it is that we should love one another. Yet some of those churches that claim Him most strongly are also the strongest in their hatred and demonstrations of hatred toward people who think or act differently from their own standard of belief or action.

Many of these churches, and their spokesmen, seem continually to go back to Old Testament law, and seem to think that they are appointed as God's instruments of wrath. From the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, to the KKK of our recent past, to the state judge in Alabama who insists on hanging the Ten Commandments on the courthouse wall, all seem to me to be instruments of hate rather than of love. Those Ten Commandments, all negative in their approach, tell us what not to do. But they were replaced in the New Testament by Jesus's positive teachings, primarily to love God and to love one another as we love ourselves. One of the reasons I'm spending so much time on the problem of anger is that I consider it one of my biggest problems. I have always had a quick temper, and I have usually been slow to forgive. Yet the only way to have a spiritual life, it seems to me, is to be forgiving--again, a message Jesus taught over and over. I have to keep reminding myself that my anger does nothing to the recipient of that anger, but only harms me. Our anger twists us emotionally, mentally and physically. Among the many problems it cause us are lack of sleep, ulcers, and high blood pressure.

Again from the Bible, in verses 43 through 45 of Matthew 6, Jesus said:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous."

It seems to me that a real test of our spiritual condition lies in our ability to love those who we perceive to be our enemies. As Jesus said, it's easy to love your friends, but much harder to love those you personally dislike and/or disagree with. As UU's, we should strive to love those who hate us, disagree with us, and make our lives harder. Not only is this a good way to live, one that can make our lives more serene and happy, but it can also show others that UU's can be loving human beings, not just a group of cold intellectuals.

In Luke 5:3, Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." But in Luke 6:20-21, He said, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled." I do not know which account is right, or more nearly right. Actually, we know neither reporter was an eyewitness to the Sermon on the Mount. Perhaps Matthew 6:19-21 will shed light on the matter:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in a steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We live in what is perhaps the most competitive society in the world. Our value as a person is often judged by how much money we make, how much of the world's riches we own, and how much we contribute to pollution. One of my friends had an economics professor years ago who said we should measure our worth not only by how much we have but by how much we owe. If we owe a large amount, that means we've consumed not only more than we made but what others made too. To us, that may seem humorous, but I'm afraid that in our society of conspicuous wealth we do often judge people by how much they have.

Some UU's might be uncomfortable with the idea of storing up treasures in heaven. But if we use heaven as a metaphor for spirit, perhaps it will be more acceptable. A spiritual treasure for our Social action committee might be in making us all more aware of social injustice in the society around us and inspiring us to work for change toward social justice, in small areas where we can do some good. For the Green Team, some spiritual treasures could be laid up by helping us all become more aware of ways we poliute but inspiring us to reduce those actions which cause that pollution. Our church as a whole contributes on a regular basis to groups in our communities that need help. We also sometimes become involved in larger issues of a more political nature, all of which I think can contribute to our spiritual treasure.

As individuals, many of us are teachers, who by causing others to think, increase their spiritual life. Some are physicians, who help relieve pain, whether physical, mental or emotional. Others in the congregation do other things, not directly related to increasing their own earthly treasures. Maybe there are others ways we can work toward building our spiritual, rather than material, treasures, both as a group and as individuals.

In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyo;ne forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you." Does the teacher literally mean for us to turn the other cheek, to not retaliate, to go the second mile? Yes, I think He does. I think these ideas are consistent with all of the other teachings in the words, or supposed words, of Jesus.

Does He really means for us to become doormats, if someone strikes us not to strike back? I don't know. But I would say the idea is consistent with the rest of the "Blessed Be's." Perhaps if we who call ourselves a Christian nation really attempted to follow the teachings of Christ, it would be a different nation. As I say, I don't know how far we can, or should, follow this literally. But I certainly think we should give great thought and consideration to our actions before we retaliate. Maybe we should defend ourselves, invididaully and collectively, but we should be slow to react and retaliate. And I think we certainly should not be preemptive in our actions that will cause others harm, whether out of fear or greed.

We would do well, I think, to remember the wonders that such giants of non-violence as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., accomplished through that technique. Perhaps this is a point we should think about—and think about.

READING: "From arrogance, pompousness, and from thinking ourselves more important than we are, may some saving sense of humor liberate us. For allowing ourselves to ridicule the faith of others, may we be forgiven.

"From making war and calling it peace, special privilege and calling it justice, indifference and calling it tolerance, pollution and calling it progress, may we be cured.

"For telling ourselves and others that evil is inevitable while good is impossible, may we stand corrected.

"God of our mixed up, tragic, aspiring, doubting, and insurgent lives, help us to be as good as in our hearts we have always wanted to be. Amen."

--Harry Meserve