"Shaped by the Reign" - Sermon, November 17, 2019
Community UMC, Quincy
“Abiding in the Reign: Shaped by the Reign”
Rev. Andrew Davis
November 17, 2019
Isaiah 65: 17-25
Luke 21: 5-19
One of my favorite traditions in our church is the Annual Fall Dinner, which is fitting since I love good food. I was bummed that I had to miss last year’s Fall dinner, although my sister’s wedding in Santa Barbara at that time was a joyous occasion to be a part of. One of the hallmarks of our Fall Dinner is that no matter how close to panic-level we might get to in preparing for it, everything always comes together in the end and everyone steps up in one way or another, as we have many doers in our congregation. Except it’s not possible without the organization it takes, ranging from Jackie & Kitty & John, along with everyone who made pies, roasted turkeys, made mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, salads, and for all who were hosts/hostesses, and anyone who helped in any way is amazing!!**
Being able to offer our gifts of cooking, hosting, or providing hospitality is one of the many ways that we are shaped by the reign of God as we continue bringing the Kingdom of God here to earth today. Being shaped by the reign of God is how we as a local church are, “joyfully committed to being [Christ’s] ambassadors” in which we serve as the hands and feet of Christ with joy. As we continue our series, “Abiding in the Reign,” we started out talking about how we choose to be a part of the reign of God by offering our gifts and talents to bringing God’s kingdom here to earth, then last week, we talked of how God’s Spirit abides, just as it did with those who came before us and how it will abide with future generations.
When thinking of being shaped by the reign, I think of our spiritual mothers and fathers, our own families, close friends, and church family who formed us spiritually.** Growing up, I did not start attending church regularly until I was seven. Nevertheless, my parents and other family made sure to lay the foundation of faith, from sharing the story of Christmas and Easter, to reading stories from The Children’s Bible, and making sure that God’s last name was not darn-it, or the equivalent. Of course, once my family started attending church regularly, something I wasn’t all that crazy about at first, my Sunday school teachers and pastors began building on that foundation and further shaping my faith and where my place was in the Kingdom of God. And my parents grew in their faith too and continue to show it through their actions.
Like our spiritual mothers and fathers, and church family, God can shape us over time. We have this thing called provenience grace, which is God’s grace that is there before we even believe, then we respond to that grace when we put our faith and trust in God.[i] Last week, we had the reminder, more like a kick in the pants, that despite things that happen in our lives and church, God’s got this, as the Spirit abides thorough every generation. And each of us has a place in the reign of God. As we look at our scripture lessons from the prophet Isaiah and Gospel of Luke, we can see how people are being shaped by the reign of God, although if you read the verses before this morning’s lesson from Isaiah and in our gospel lesson, things are pretty startling.
In Luke, we are reading Apocalyptic language that sounds like it would suit itself well to a Hollywood doomsday blockbuster. Of course, when we hear the word apocalyptic, or apocalypse, we need to take some pause for a moment. To give a little context to the meaning of apocalyptic literature, particularly in Luke’s gospel, New Testament Scholar Gilberto Ruiz explains that
Apocalyptic literature uses unsettling language and imagery as a means to assure the faithful that they should keep their trust in God even when facing the most challenging of circumstances. Sure enough, while describing the terrible events, Jesus tells his listeners not to be afraid (Luke 21:9). There is nothing particularly original or specific about Jesus’ “predictions” here. Every age has its own false prophets, wars, natural catastrophes, and so on. We will misread 21:7-11 if we think Jesus is describing a specific set of calamities. The point is that when bad things happen -- and they will -- we should “not be terrified” (21:9) or follow anyone proclaiming these are signs of God’s judgment and the end (21:8). Instead, we should trust that God remains present in our lives.[ii]
Amidst the unsettling language and warnings of false prophets, both texts are pointing to a time where we are shaped by the reign of God, where God is present, where we do have a semblance of hope by putting our faith and trust in God. We do hear judgment in both texts, yet we hear hope too.
Over these last few weeks, we have had several memorial services happening and in two of them we heard the words of Revelation 21, as the words we hear from Isaiah are also in Revelation 21, the new heaven and the new earth. New creation is something we strive towards. In the new creation in Isaiah and by being shaped by the reign of God, peace will prevail, God will be present in everything, mourning and weeping will cease, life will be abundant, and animals that are ordinarily part of each others’ food chain will lay next to each other in this new creation without devouring each other for dinner. Like the minor prophets we read these last couple weeks from Habakkuk and Haggai, God’s people have returned from exile and are rebuilding their lives and creating life anew, even amidst the trauma and messiness experienced as a result of exile.[iii]
Amidst the words of judgment in verses 1-16 of Isaiah 65, we get a message of hope in verses 17-25, another message of God’s got this, as God’s people will be shaped by this new creation and new life. Bible Scholar, Rev. Dr. Derek Weber explains that as a part of this new creation and by being shaped by the reign of God,
The people of God should be people of joy. God’s people should be a delight to the world in which they live because they are working in hope of a new reality—a reality in which weeping in distress is a thing of the past. God’s vision for this new reality is surprisingly current. He talks about infant mortality rates and references elder care, home ownership, and fair wages in these verses. Some of the most crucial issues facing people who work for justice in our nation come to light in this vision of God’s reign.[iv]
As followers of Christ, our calling is to bring the bring the kingdom of God to each today, to be workers of justice and joy, being shaped by the reign of God to bring peace to a divided world, to advocate for the poor, the homeless, the elderly, and the impoverished. Likewise,
At the heart of [Isaiah’s message] is this sense of God’s presence throughout. God’s people call upon God, having already heard from God. And there shall be peace. Long-standing, some would say predisposed enemies – like wolves and lambs, or lions and oxen (might we add donkeys and elephants?) – shall set aside their differences and work together for the good of all. We are called by these verses to not just hope for this new world, but to begin living in it. We are called to let this image shape our behavior, our choices, and our priorities. This isn’t pie in the sky, no one believes it is even possible stuff. These are marching orders, blueprints of a new creation—the reign of God in which we can choose to live now. [v]
There are days where it feels impossible to carry out such a command from God because of so many obstacles, yet as I’ve said before and will continue saying, being a Christian and following Jesus is never going to be easy all of the time, or comfortable.** Last week, we talked about some of the challenges our church is currently facing, yet it’s not just the church, as our world outside our doors has plenty of challenges too. While wages might go up, cost of living continues to rise, affordable housing is in short supply, and we live in a very polarized and divided world. Yet in scripture, or when Jesus calls us, we receive a reminder that each of us are still called to work together for the common good, even if there are people we cannot stand or those we hold in contempt. Isaiah’s prophecy calls for us to set aside such differences in order to be shaped by the reign of God, to use our hands, feet, gifts, and talents to make our world a better place.
We might not always be sure where to start, although as Jesus tells the disciples in our Gospel lesson and tells us today, Jesus will give the disciples and us the words to say and the wisdom to overcome any challenge that comes before us (Luke 21: 15). Jesus is talks of persecution, family member going against family member, and things not always being perfect, some of what we may be feeling at times today. Nevertheless, Jesus is talking about how to deal with rapid change, something we encounter frequently today.[vi]
I think that’s where we find ourselves caught off guard whenever things change, especially when there is sweeping change. Sometimes, a tradition has suddenly changed, especially as the holidays fast approach and perhaps we have lost someone we used to celebrate with, which changes the holidays. Nothing ever stays the same, whether it’s something in the church or in the greater world, although Jesus will continue giving us the words to say and the wisdom we need regardless of what happens, just as Jesus can continue to give us the words and wisdom when we choose to be a part of the reign of God and when we are shaped by the reign.
God’s got this, even though things may feel unsettling and messy at different points in our lives. And we will need to endure, something that Jesus is encouraging the disciples and us to do today. Even the words of Isaiah call on us to endure, to cling to hope as we are shaped by the reign. Dr. Derek Weber highlights that
the call to endure is a call to continue to work for the reign of God even when it seems hopeless. Holding on is not just holding on to your personal faith, but holding on to a larger vision, a more divine reality. And because we hold on to the vision, we continue to work, continue to be shaped, and continue to shape the world we influence so that it can begin to resemble something more like the reign of God and not the fallen world that claims dominance today. We carry the banner of hope and acceptance; we sing the praises of a God who loves and transforms; we order our work along the lines of the community of faith and not our personal preferences. Holding on is not a passive stance, but an active lifestyle that moves forward toward the new heaven and the new earth. In this way, Jesus says, we gain our souls.[vii]
The good news is that we can endure challenges that come before us by holding onto our faith and hope, when we work towards peace, and work with each other. While there will be persecutions, troubles, false prophets, messiness, discomfort, and suffering in our own lives and in the world, we have God to cling to, we have Jesus to give us the words and wisdom we need, and we have the Holy Spirit to abide with us and to help shape us and mold us each step of the way. As we are shaped by the reign of God, how do you plan to work towards peace and heal divisions? What words and wisdom are you seeking from Christ? How is God transforming you today and beyond?
[i] Derek Weber, “Shaped by the Reign” in Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church, accessed 13 November 2019, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/abiding-in-the-reign/twenty-third-sunday-after-pentecost-year-c-planning-notes/twenty-third-sunday-after-pentecost-year-c-preaching-notes.
[ii] Gilberto Ruiz, “Commentary on Luke 21: 5-19 in Working Preacher, Accessed 13 November 2019, https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3059
[iii] Derek Weber, “Shaped by the Reign”
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] Ibid.
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