A Sermon by Rev. Henley
Zachariah, in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets, called his people to compassion and justice, “…[r]ender true judgments, show kindness and mercy each to his brother, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor; and let none of you devise evil against … [your] brother in your heart."
And so did Jesus. Two of the most penetrating stories of the New Testament are about compassion. One is the Good Samaritan, where Jesus taught his followers that we are all called to help each other. The other is the story where Jesus tells us to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, visit those in prison, and clothe the naked.
As for justice, it was very clear that his followers were called to seek justice. He did this, not by saying in so many words to seek justice, but by telling the scribes and the Pharisees that they [Matthew chapter 23] have neglected the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.” In Luke he tells the Pharisees they have “passed by justice.”
We are led to believe that if we are following Jesus we are called to be compassionate and to seek justice.
Now, we turn to our second reading where someone asks Jesus, "What is the kingdom of God like?”
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he talked about the kingdom of God. Mark 1:14 says, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. He said in Mark 4:11, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God…” He said let the little children come to me … for of such is the kingdom of God. In Luke 6 he said, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” These are but a few places where he talked about the kingdom.
Finally, someone asked him, what is this kingdom of God? That’s when he said, it is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.
To create, even a small corner of this kingdom we must live out our compassion and we must seek justice. One is personal; the other is systemic.
To live our call to compassion we must feed a starving person a plate of fish.
To live our call to justice we must teach starving people how to fish.
When Jesus talked about planting seeds he was trying to help his followers visualize what is needed to create the kingdom.
I knew a man in the Midwest who was a Big Brother to a young, teenage boy who lived with his very alcoholic mother. They were so poor that they had no heat in the winter, no hot running water, and no front door to their home. He was, needless to say, an “at risk” youth who was on probation. I do not remember the details. This man, the big brother, saw him once a week and tried to help him as much as he could. He was living out his call to compassion.
But that is not all he did. He worked with an organization that advocated for children and youth in the court system, and they sought justice for these at-risk children who needed much more than what the system could offer.
Another person who follows Jesus call to plants seeds is the very popular and well-know Christian singer Natalie Grant, I’m sure you’ve heard of her. One night after watching an episode of “Law and Order” on child sex trafficking, she felt she had to do something. Grant looked for an organization which she could join and discovered Shared Hope. It is a non-profit created to save girls and women from the sex-slave-trade. They work with countries all over the world to monitor and expose human slave traffic, as well as to change laws. They also create communities in which rescued women are empowered and their lives are changed.
And right here in Washington, DC, seeking justice through systemic change is the Children’s Law Center. The Center, not only represents children and youth in court, they advocate for changes in the laws that deal with at-risk children and their families.
We have a newcomer and a new choir member, Eliserena Kilmo, who has started a foundation in Tanzania to build a school for the deserted and orphaned children there. She is seeking justice for those marginalized children.
All of these organizations are planting seeds and trying to create a corner of God’s kingdom. There are hundreds more in Washington DC alone that not only demonstrates compassion for those in need, but they are also seeking justice through systemic change.
We are a people of faith, and I am wondering what we can do as a church to answer Jesus’ call to plant seeds. Our mission, adopted by the congregation in 2002 is to create a loving community for worship and service in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Are we living our mission? We are creating a loving community for worship, but what about the service?
I don’t know what that would look like for us. I know, though, that we are called to plant seeds of compassion and justice. This morning, I have seeds for us.
Sunflower Seed Communion – each person says to her/his neighbor – take a packet of seeds to remind us that we are called to plant compassion and justice.
READING I
Zechariah 7:1-10
[1] In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechari'ah in the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.
[2] Now the people of Bethel had sent Share'zer and Reg'em-mel'ech and their men, to entreat the favor Yahweh,
[3] and to ask the priests of the house of Yahweh…, "Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?"
[4] Then the word of Yahweh came to me;
[5] "Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?
[6] And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?
[7] When Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, with her cities round about her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited, were not these the words which Yahweh proclaimed by the former prophets?"
[8] And the word of Yahweh came to Zechari'ah, saying,
[9] "Thus says Yahweh, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy each to his brother,
[10] do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart."
READING II
Being One in Spirit and Purpose, Philippians 2:1-5
Parable of the Mustard Seed, Luke 13:18-19
Philippians 2:1-5
[1] So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
[2] complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
[3] Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.
[4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Luke 13:18-19
[18] He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
[19] It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.