Going for Gold
Epiphany 5 – Narrative Lectionary 1
February 10, 2019
Grace, Mankato, MN
Matthew 7.1-14, 24-29
“Calvin and Hobbes” was one of my favorite cartoons. It’s a boy Calvin—precocious, mischievous, and even devilish—and his stuffed tiger Hobbes. In Calvin’s world, Hobbes is very alive and they do much together, including playing a game called, “Calvinball.” Calvinball is a game played anytime, anywhere, with whatever ball or toy is at hand: soccer ball, hockey puck, croquet mallet, tennis racket, whatever. The game is made up as you go along and the rules are constantly changing at their whim. Though the game may cause momentary consternation for the players, Calvin and Hobbes hilariously go with the flow and have a ball.
I don’t know that there is much hilarity in our text today, but in a sense Jesus is helping his followers “go with the flow” of life in the kingdom of God. We come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount, that large block of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew where he is shown to be the authentic interpreter of the law. Previous to the Sermon, before he sits down to teach, Jesus proclaims that the kingdom—God’s reign—is now present with his presence. So, in essence, the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ teaching on what life in the kingdom might look like right now. Jesus’ teaching appears to be a collection of wisdom sayings highlighted by the Golden Rule: do unto others what you would have them do unto you.
New Testament observer Warren Carter has identified three ways we can approach these teachings of Jesus. The first is just that, as teachings for those who don’t know the ways of Jesus. Here is what it means to live the kingdom life. The second approach involves motivation or persuasion. The followers already know what to do but they need encouragement to do so. Unfortunately, there is a dark side to the first way that is often used to scare someone into obedience. The same is true for the second approach. It is better because it involves persuading people this really is a good way to live, but it can also be used for shaming.
Yet, there’s a third approach to Jesus’ teachings in general and the Golden Rule in particular that I think is more helpful. Rather than rules to follow, these sayings are visions of what God is up to in the world. Rather than commands, they are invitations to look for God’s presence and join in that work. The early church fathers talked about wisdom sayings as something to be chewed on “until they yield their full flavor.” By “chewing on” the Golden Rule we open ourselves to God’s presence in the world and are invited to join God in kingdom work.
I’ve seen this discernment response to the Golden Rule here at Grace through the homeless shelter. We were open to God’s working in the world as we considered the invitation to be a host site. And as we responded to the breaking in of the kingdom, we established a “five-star shelter” that treated our guests as we would want to be treated, demanding nothing from them in return. The kingdom is now peeking in again as we envision a different reality in the next few years. We are beginning to discern where God is inviting us to participate in God’s work, particularly with our sister congregation Redeemer. There is a lot of energy and excitement around deepening the possibilities for ministry between our congregations. We don’t know what that will look like, but it is exciting to explore where God is inviting us to join in.
I think that following Jesus into a changing world, living and working to serve others through God’s abundant love, is more like Calvinball than baseball: we’re making it up as we go along. That doesn’t mean that “anything goes,” but it does mean we keep looking for God’s presence as we follow Jesus. God invites us into a way of life that embraces humility, openness and awareness. We “go for the gold” when we join God in the work of making his kingdom a reality. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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