Battling Images
Battling Images
Genesis 1: 26 – 31
Luke 10: 25 – 37
Nov. 3, 2024
We find ourselves in the midst of a tremendously contentious political season. Whether the contest that one looks at is local, state, or national it seems as though fear, and the absolute destruction of the credibility and character of one’s opponent, are the operating campaign strategies of the day. In doing so, we celebrate the wisdom and character of those of our tribe while absolutely dismissing and demonizing those who might oppose us. As a result, it seems as though our community - our culture – is more fractured, more alienated, more fear-filled and distressed than ever before.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise then that loneliness and a sense of isolation are being reported and written about in astounding numbers. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report entitled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” In that report we learned that 50% of adults in our country are feeling lonely.
In that report we learn that, in comparison to just two decades ago, people are spending less time with each other in person. This reality is most pronounced amongst young people aged 15 – 24 who are now having 70% less social interaction with their friends than in earlier times.
This seems so strange and counterintuitive. Today, one need only pick up their phone, notebook, Kindle or iPad and they can be instantly connected with anyone throughout the world. And yet, one can pick up those same devices and be exposed to influencers living the most glamorous and seductive of lives. Compared to life in our bedrooms or basements, how can we possibly compete?
In the midst of this loneliness, in the midst of this isolation, wars and rumors of wars abound. Is WWIII really just right over the horizon? Whether it is in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, or increasing tensions in the South China Seas we seem closer to a multinational war since, perhaps, Korea.
As a result, generations including those from 15 to 50, report that they can no longer count on things that we older folks just assumed. No longer do our younger adults expect to live lives that will be materially better than their parents. Gen Z suggests that old age is no longer a given. Both millennials and Gen Zrs report serious worry over the ethics of bringing children into such a world.
Fear, isolation, alienation, and hopelessness – our politics fan these flames. In a culture devoid of the great meta-narratives that used to bridge our differences; in a culture devoid of meaningful spiritual communities that can help us see one another differently; we have adopted economic systems that have become the basis of our ethics, values, and purpose of life. We will buy or consume our way to happiness. When a good life becomes defined by our accumulation of stuff, then the fear of not being consequential enough to accumulate a notable collection of things becomes paralyzing. In a world where God is dead, in a world where the “Nones” reign supreme, then our desire to consume becomes insatiable.
But is life really defined by our accumulation of stuff? Are our lives really defined for us by influencers who glamorize their consumer lifestyles? At the heart of all of this is a profound spiritual crisis. At the heart of our fear, our isolation, our contentiousness is a confusion over what it means to be human and a failure to see the humanity in those who might differ from us.
Friends, I would ask you this.
· Who are we?
· What do we value?
· What does this great big thing that we call life mean and how do we live a life of wholeness in this life so that it leads to an eternity with God in the next?
These are ancient questions. These, in combination, is really the question that the Scribe or Lawyer asks Jesus when he stands up and asks Jesus, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He is asking, “How do we live lives of meaning and purpose? In this great big confusing world, who am I and what am I supposed to be about?”
Jesus answers his question with a question. Don’t you hate it when people do that to you? “How do you read, Scribe? What does Scripture tell you, one who is trained to read, interpret, and teach the Old Testament to others?”
This expert in the Law then answers his own question. In response to a question about what he is supposed to do to inherit eternal life, strangely this expert in the law offers – not works – but instead relationship. Love your God with all your heart and all your soul, with all your strength and all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.
In a culture that defines life by the accumulation of material goods, we read that we were created to be in relationship with God. We were created by God out of love, to be in love with Him forever. We were created to be CONNECTED to God – we find our meaning in relationship. Relationship, not with stuff, not with an endless pursuit of the latest and greatest thing, not in
pointing out and demonizing our differences but instead a relationship with God that defines who we are. In that connection we find meaning. But it doesn’t end there.
The second part of his answer is how we transcend or overcome our isolation and fearfulness. First, we love God – we are CONNECTED in relationship. But second, we see the image of God in one another. We see those we encounter as those equally loved by God. We see those who might be politically, economically, socially, ethnically different from us but also as people – just like us – that Jesus loved and died for.
We were created to be connected to God. We were created to be connected to one another – regardless of our differences. Our parable tells this story.
A man – undefined, undescribed, we don’t know if he is Jewish, Samaritan, Gentile or pagan. He, throughout the story, remains undefined. He is truly, simply, a generic placeholder representing anyone in humanity.
This man foolishly, recklessly, even arrogantly decides to travel the seventeen-mile road that leads from Jerusalem to Jericho alone. Now this was a notorious road. People simply didn’t travel it alone, not if they wanted to get to Jericho and beyond safely. It is a 3300-foot drop from Jerusalem in the mountains to Jericho that was below sea level. The road twisted and wound through the desert, in and out of canyons. It was a narrow road that afforded thieves any number of places from which they could ambush travelers.
In the 5th century, according to Jerome, the road was still called “The Red,” or “The Bloody Way.” As late as the 19th century, travelers were still paying protection money to walk it safely. In 1930, a Christian missionary was warned not to be on this road after dark. I was told, by my friend and Israeli guide, Iyad Qumri, that I shouldn’t make this walk alone today and that I should be sure to be off the road by nightfall. In 2020! This was a well-known, clearly recognized path of danger. And yet, this man, chooses to travel it alone. There are some that might argue that, in his recklessness, he got what he deserved.
And he certainly got it, didn’t he? Beaten to within an inch of his life, stripped, robbed, he is left for dead alongside the road. Notice that his generic quality is even enhanced now by his plight. He has nothing to identify him – no clothing, no papers, no identification – he is stripped bare and left, generically anonymous alongside the road. He could have been anyone.
Two people pass him. And not just any two people, but two religious people. We don’t know if the man is conscious – we never get that information in the story – but if he was, certainly his beaten soul would have felt a little jolt of life, a little jolt of hope as these religious men came towards him.
But as we know, he gets no help from those from whom he could have expected help. Whether they were concerned that this man was simply a decoy, whether they were concerned about maintaining their ritual purity for service in the Temple – remember Leviticus stated that handling a dead man rendered the helper ceremonially unclean - they undoubtedly felt that they had good reasons to hurry on by. They had good reasons. They had good excuses.
Those excuses allowed them to not see the humanity of the one beaten and robbed on the road. Those excuses allowed them to not see the beaten and robbed man as one loved by God and thus worthy of their assistance. No, their excuses allowed them to walk on by – separated, alienated, and fearful of what they had just seen.
The Samaritan of our story - an unlikely hero - sees in this beaten man only his humanity. All of the excuses that he could have used were still operative for him as they had been for the first two travelers. He could have allowed the same fear, the same set of social, economic, and religious differences to hurry him on by. But instead, he sees only humanity, one like himself. He feels connected and that sense of connection compels him to act. He was CONNECTED.
Friends, over the next four weeks we are going to be talking about values, about ongoing actions and commitments that both define who we are as a church and what we have to offer to our communities that are broken, alienated, beaten and bloodied by the fear and contentiousness that seems to reign in our world today.
We start with CONNECTING as an ongoing active value in the life of this church family. In a time when we are wondering who we are and what is the meaning of life; for those who are wondering if the accumulation of stuff is all that there is to this world; for those who are seeking meaning and purpose beyond themselves we offer a connection to the God who has created you, loves you, redeemed you in Jesus Christ, and filled you with gifts, abilities and purpose. We offer the joy and meaning of connecting to God! But it doesn’t end there.
If you are tired of division, contentiousness, and fear driven politics; if you are tired of a brokenness that is embodied in the demonization of those who might look or think differently than you; if you are tired of a fearfulness that breaks humanity into sets of warring tribes; if you want to find a unity, a home, a place of belonging grounded in something that is bigger than the differences that seek to break us; then we offer a connection to one another, a sense of family, a place of belonging that is centered in our shared connection to Jesus Christ.
Connecting to God. Connecting to one another. This is who we are. This is who we will be as empowered by the Holy Spirit. Connecting to God and God’s people. This is what we have to offer to a broken and fearful world. Will you join with me as we offer this to our communities? Amen.
Genesis 1: 26 – 31
Luke 10: 25 – 37
Nov. 3, 2024
We find ourselves in the midst of a tremendously contentious political season. Whether the contest that one looks at is local, state, or national it seems as though fear, and the absolute destruction of the credibility and character of one’s opponent, are the operating campaign strategies of the day. In doing so, we celebrate the wisdom and character of those of our tribe while absolutely dismissing and demonizing those who might oppose us. As a result, it seems as though our community - our culture – is more fractured, more alienated, more fear-filled and distressed than ever before.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise then that loneliness and a sense of isolation are being reported and written about in astounding numbers. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report entitled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” In that report we learned that 50% of adults in our country are feeling lonely.
In that report we learn that, in comparison to just two decades ago, people are spending less time with each other in person. This reality is most pronounced amongst young people aged 15 – 24 who are now having 70% less social interaction with their friends than in earlier times.
This seems so strange and counterintuitive. Today, one need only pick up their phone, notebook, Kindle or iPad and they can be instantly connected with anyone throughout the world. And yet, one can pick up those same devices and be exposed to influencers living the most glamorous and seductive of lives. Compared to life in our bedrooms or basements, how can we possibly compete?
In the midst of this loneliness, in the midst of this isolation, wars and rumors of wars abound. Is WWIII really just right over the horizon? Whether it is in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, or increasing tensions in the South China Seas we seem closer to a multinational war since, perhaps, Korea.
As a result, generations including those from 15 to 50, report that they can no longer count on things that we older folks just assumed. No longer do our younger adults expect to live lives that will be materially better than their parents. Gen Z suggests that old age is no longer a given. Both millennials and Gen Zrs report serious worry over the ethics of bringing children into such a world.
Fear, isolation, alienation, and hopelessness – our politics fan these flames. In a culture devoid of the great meta-narratives that used to bridge our differences; in a culture devoid of meaningful spiritual communities that can help us see one another differently; we have adopted economic systems that have become the basis of our ethics, values, and purpose of life. We will buy or consume our way to happiness. When a good life becomes defined by our accumulation of stuff, then the fear of not being consequential enough to accumulate a notable collection of things becomes paralyzing. In a world where God is dead, in a world where the “Nones” reign supreme, then our desire to consume becomes insatiable.
But is life really defined by our accumulation of stuff? Are our lives really defined for us by influencers who glamorize their consumer lifestyles? At the heart of all of this is a profound spiritual crisis. At the heart of our fear, our isolation, our contentiousness is a confusion over what it means to be human and a failure to see the humanity in those who might differ from us.
Friends, I would ask you this.
· Who are we?
· What do we value?
· What does this great big thing that we call life mean and how do we live a life of wholeness in this life so that it leads to an eternity with God in the next?
These are ancient questions. These, in combination, is really the question that the Scribe or Lawyer asks Jesus when he stands up and asks Jesus, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He is asking, “How do we live lives of meaning and purpose? In this great big confusing world, who am I and what am I supposed to be about?”
Jesus answers his question with a question. Don’t you hate it when people do that to you? “How do you read, Scribe? What does Scripture tell you, one who is trained to read, interpret, and teach the Old Testament to others?”
This expert in the Law then answers his own question. In response to a question about what he is supposed to do to inherit eternal life, strangely this expert in the law offers – not works – but instead relationship. Love your God with all your heart and all your soul, with all your strength and all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.
In a culture that defines life by the accumulation of material goods, we read that we were created to be in relationship with God. We were created by God out of love, to be in love with Him forever. We were created to be CONNECTED to God – we find our meaning in relationship. Relationship, not with stuff, not with an endless pursuit of the latest and greatest thing, not in
pointing out and demonizing our differences but instead a relationship with God that defines who we are. In that connection we find meaning. But it doesn’t end there.
The second part of his answer is how we transcend or overcome our isolation and fearfulness. First, we love God – we are CONNECTED in relationship. But second, we see the image of God in one another. We see those we encounter as those equally loved by God. We see those who might be politically, economically, socially, ethnically different from us but also as people – just like us – that Jesus loved and died for.
We were created to be connected to God. We were created to be connected to one another – regardless of our differences. Our parable tells this story.
A man – undefined, undescribed, we don’t know if he is Jewish, Samaritan, Gentile or pagan. He, throughout the story, remains undefined. He is truly, simply, a generic placeholder representing anyone in humanity.
This man foolishly, recklessly, even arrogantly decides to travel the seventeen-mile road that leads from Jerusalem to Jericho alone. Now this was a notorious road. People simply didn’t travel it alone, not if they wanted to get to Jericho and beyond safely. It is a 3300-foot drop from Jerusalem in the mountains to Jericho that was below sea level. The road twisted and wound through the desert, in and out of canyons. It was a narrow road that afforded thieves any number of places from which they could ambush travelers.
In the 5th century, according to Jerome, the road was still called “The Red,” or “The Bloody Way.” As late as the 19th century, travelers were still paying protection money to walk it safely. In 1930, a Christian missionary was warned not to be on this road after dark. I was told, by my friend and Israeli guide, Iyad Qumri, that I shouldn’t make this walk alone today and that I should be sure to be off the road by nightfall. In 2020! This was a well-known, clearly recognized path of danger. And yet, this man, chooses to travel it alone. There are some that might argue that, in his recklessness, he got what he deserved.
And he certainly got it, didn’t he? Beaten to within an inch of his life, stripped, robbed, he is left for dead alongside the road. Notice that his generic quality is even enhanced now by his plight. He has nothing to identify him – no clothing, no papers, no identification – he is stripped bare and left, generically anonymous alongside the road. He could have been anyone.
Two people pass him. And not just any two people, but two religious people. We don’t know if the man is conscious – we never get that information in the story – but if he was, certainly his beaten soul would have felt a little jolt of life, a little jolt of hope as these religious men came towards him.
But as we know, he gets no help from those from whom he could have expected help. Whether they were concerned that this man was simply a decoy, whether they were concerned about maintaining their ritual purity for service in the Temple – remember Leviticus stated that handling a dead man rendered the helper ceremonially unclean - they undoubtedly felt that they had good reasons to hurry on by. They had good reasons. They had good excuses.
Those excuses allowed them to not see the humanity of the one beaten and robbed on the road. Those excuses allowed them to not see the beaten and robbed man as one loved by God and thus worthy of their assistance. No, their excuses allowed them to walk on by – separated, alienated, and fearful of what they had just seen.
The Samaritan of our story - an unlikely hero - sees in this beaten man only his humanity. All of the excuses that he could have used were still operative for him as they had been for the first two travelers. He could have allowed the same fear, the same set of social, economic, and religious differences to hurry him on by. But instead, he sees only humanity, one like himself. He feels connected and that sense of connection compels him to act. He was CONNECTED.
Friends, over the next four weeks we are going to be talking about values, about ongoing actions and commitments that both define who we are as a church and what we have to offer to our communities that are broken, alienated, beaten and bloodied by the fear and contentiousness that seems to reign in our world today.
We start with CONNECTING as an ongoing active value in the life of this church family. In a time when we are wondering who we are and what is the meaning of life; for those who are wondering if the accumulation of stuff is all that there is to this world; for those who are seeking meaning and purpose beyond themselves we offer a connection to the God who has created you, loves you, redeemed you in Jesus Christ, and filled you with gifts, abilities and purpose. We offer the joy and meaning of connecting to God! But it doesn’t end there.
If you are tired of division, contentiousness, and fear driven politics; if you are tired of a brokenness that is embodied in the demonization of those who might look or think differently than you; if you are tired of a fearfulness that breaks humanity into sets of warring tribes; if you want to find a unity, a home, a place of belonging grounded in something that is bigger than the differences that seek to break us; then we offer a connection to one another, a sense of family, a place of belonging that is centered in our shared connection to Jesus Christ.
Connecting to God. Connecting to one another. This is who we are. This is who we will be as empowered by the Holy Spirit. Connecting to God and God’s people. This is what we have to offer to a broken and fearful world. Will you join with me as we offer this to our communities? Amen.
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