Sermon on Luke 6:24-30

Luke 6:24-30

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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Jesus came down from the mountain to the level plain, and sat in the midst of the large crowd that had gathered from all of Judea and Jerusalem, (jews) and from Tyre and Sidon, pagan costal towns – jews and gentiles gathered together. This crowd, including his disciples, was pressing into Jesus, gathered to HEAR him and to be healed of their diseases and cleansed of unclean spirits. And they were healed.

As the miracles multiplied the crowd pressed in with even greater determination in order to touch Jesus, get as close as they could, for the power of God was coming from Him. And the scripture tells us that ALL of those who had gathered to hear Him were healed that day. Jesus then looks up from his place seated on the earth, the earth which He made with His own hands as a footstool, but upon which he now sits in order that His disciples might hear Him if they have ears to HEAR.

This morning we also gathered like the disciples, standing, pressing in with each other around choir stands with the word in song, in front of icons with the word in paint, in order to strain OUR ears to try to HEAR Jesus speak - that we might be healed of our dis-eases (whatever they may be this morning) and be given a new and right spirit.

For in each of us there is a war raging - A war between the faithful disciple and the woeful sinner – which will win is our lifelong concern. For the Lord said woe to the rich, the full, the laughing, and the well spoken of.

As Christ’s disciples, I imagine that we can all recognize the woeful sinner…

For in as much as we are faithful disciples we are poor in this world, preferring the consolation of the treasure that is the Kingdom and not parish assignment stipends, nice apartment or worldly possessions.

In as much as we are disciples we are hungry in this world, preferring to be filled by God with Good things, the strong food of righteousness, and not sugar coated eye candy from the Internet or other manmade temptations that are nothing but empty calories.

In as much as we are disciples we weep actual tears for our sins and are not carefree and content with our successes.

In as much as we are disciples we rejoice when are hated, excluded, and reviled, for so were our fathers and mothers in the faith, those who took seriously the Christian’s prophetic calling to ‘go therefore to all nations’… only to be cast out for Christ’s sake.

In as much as we HEAR Christ Jesus we are his faithful disciples and we know the woeful sinner and the judgment that awaits him– the one who hates, curses, and spitefully uses the body of Christ for his own good pleasure.

However, in as much as we are NOT faithful disciples perhaps we recognize the woeful sinner all to well.

And the world would say to us in that moment: you are not poor; look at your vast wealth and school loans. You are not hungry; you eat every day after morning prayers. You have never once wept for your sins; and we have seen you sin so often. And even all speak well of you and your seminary.

So how could you count yourself as one of the faithful disciples?

Often this voice of the enemy is from those we know best. But perhaps this voice of the enemy comes just as often from within some of us…

Either way, Jesus replies, “But I say to you…” Love, do good, bless and pray for the ones who hate, curse and spitefully use you… Your enemies: whether from without or within.

We all try our hand at murder in our moments of doubt, when were not sure the pain of our faith is worth the plunder.

God will Judge us all in the day we are resurrected to life in the likeness of Christ’s resurrection or death if that is what we have chosen. But we are never allowed to sit as judge in this life, neither over others nor over ourselves. We are to love our enemies and to withhold nothing, to be utterly transparent in the world.

In as much as we listen to our Lord we are His faithful disciples, like the Theotokos who is our most blessed example of one who heard the word of the Lord and said amen. We even take her words as our own. In fact the Theotokos’ Magnificat that we just sang upholds the same teaching as the Gospel we have heard:

“He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree, He has filled the hungry with Good things and the rich he has sent empty away…”

So how then can we count ourselves as faithful disciples when we stand accused as woeful sinners? For Christ made us alive, even though we were dead in trespasses and sin, walking according to the course of this world, conducting ourselves in the in the lust of the flesh and the mind.

For what is a Christian but one who gets up after he has fallen? Knowing that he has already been given his second chance, the Christian does not judge his efforts or that of others, but tries once again to press in closer this time to Jesus, from whom the power of God is made manifest, and who alone can heal us - if only we can remain the ones who have ears to Hear His word.

AMEN