Where's The Love?

St. Paul’s Church in Bergen & Church of the Incarnation, Jersey City NJ

October 7, 2018

Year B, Proper 22: The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

Psalm 26

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Mark 10:2-16

Where’s The Love?

            Over the last couple of weeks in what some people call our “national conversation” there’s been a lot of talk about memory.

            There’s been lots of talk about the reliability of our memory – about how we can remember trauma in great detail even when we forget everything that came before and after – lots of talk about how consuming too much alcohol can black out our memory.

            I’m no scientist, but as I get older I’m amazed by the strangeness of memory. There are many months of my life about which I can recall nothing much at all. But then there are random, seemingly insignificant things that I remember with perfect clarity.

            For example, I remember an argument between two teachers – one a priest and the other a layman – an argument that took place back when I taught at St. Peter’s Prep – so this has got to be fifteen years ago or more – but I can still hear their voices in my head.

            I don’t remember exactly what the two teachers were arguing about, but the general issue was how strictly we as a school should be enforcing church rules.

            The layman was arguing for a looser, more pastoral approach when it came to our students – or maybe even one particular student – while the priest, who was a real stickler, kept quoting the rules and regulations.

            Finally, in exasperation the teacher asked the priest a question that I can still hear echoing down through the years:

            “Where’s the love, Padre?”

            “Where’s the love?”

            It’s a good question, right?

            It may even be the most important question when we’re trying to make decisions.

It may be the most important question when when we’re trying to find signs of God among us.

            Where’s the love?

            If you watch the news, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s often hard to find the love.

            Instead, we find bitter divisions and underhanded political tactics.

            Instead, we find the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

            Instead, we find an alarming and sickening epidemic of sexual harassment and abuse – especially of women – in our society. It’s an epidemic that we’re certainly more aware of now but it’s safe to say that not all of us are really taking it seriously.

            It’s hard to find the love today.

            Where’s the love?

            Even if we come to church a lot and even if we read the Bible a lot, it’s easy to forget that life was really hard for people back in the first century, back when Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth.

            Of course, here were all the usual problems of disease and violence.

            But, in this case, there was also the Roman occupation of Palestine, forcing all Jewish people of the day to make the choice of either collaborating with the enemy or actively resisting or just keeping their heads down and getting through the day, getting through life.

            And, there were the religious leaders of the day who, like many religious leaders since and, yes, still today, sometimes made life more difficult for people by being sticklers – by enforcing strict rules without love or mercy.

            We don’t have to look far in the gospels to find that Jesus the faithful Jew was not terribly impressed by the religious leaders of his time and place – and I’m guessing he’s not terribly impressed by most of the leaders of his church today.

            Where’s the love?

            Anyway, in today’s gospel lesson the Pharisees ask Jesus a question:

            “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

            Like all good lawyers, the Pharisees are asking a question to which they already know the answer: Yes, the Law (specifically Deuteronomy 24:1-4) allows a man to divorce his wife “if she does not please him because he finds something objectionable in her.”

            Now, just to make things more complicated, although Jewish law only allowed a man to divorce his wife, Roman Law did in fact allow a woman to divorce her husband!

            Nevertheless, the right answer would be for Jesus to say, “Yes”  - and then move on.

            But, of course, that’s not the way of Jesus.

            Instead, Jesus acknowledges the law about divorce but insists that this commandment was given because of the people’s “hardness of heart” - because of their lack of love – because, frankly, sometimes men want to ditch their wives for someone more attractive or just someone different.

 And then Jesus looks all the way back to the beginning – back to the first people in the garden – reminding the Pharisees and us that God gives us one another for mutual support, for companionship, and for love.

            So, Jesus says, no, a man should not divorce his wife if she no longer “pleases” him.

            And, for that matter, a woman should not divorce her husband if he no longer “pleases” her.

            Where’s the love in that?

            But, you already see the problem, I bet.

            The Church being a human institution full of sticklers took Jesus’ words here and turned them into a hard, unbreakable, harsh, and sometimes destructive and even deadly rule: no divorce and certainly no remarriage after divorce.

            But, where’s the love in such an absolute and unforgiving law?

            Where’s the love in forcing people to remain in marriages where there is no love or, far worse, forcing people to remain in marriages where there is emotional and/or physical abuse and danger?

            Where’s the love in being such a stickler for the rules that sometimes people are sentenced to a life of misery and danger?

            Where’s Jesus in all of that?

            And, where’s the love?

            Fortunately, right after this passage about divorce, Jesus turns his attention to children.

            Now, there’s the love!

            Before the world gets to them, most children are so very loving – delighted by a good round of peek-a-boo with just about anybody – and wanting to be friends with all the other children, no matter what they look like or how much or how little money their parents make.

            Children are so very loving – yesterday I met with a woman I taught in high school long ago and her three young sons. As we stood outside talking, one by one and over and over the boys brought their mom little flowers that they had picked from the garden until she had a miniature bouquet in her hands.

            And, Jesus says that’s how we are to be – that’s how we are to receive the kingdom of God.

There’s the love.

           

            In our hard and broken world it seems almost impossible, but, fortunately, every once in a while God sends us someone – someone we look at and say, “Yes, there it is! There’s the love!”

            The other day we celebrated the Feast of Francis of Assisi and later this afternoon we’ll have our annual blessing of the animals service in his honor.

Francis was a most extraordinary Christian, born in the late 12^th century into a well-to-do family, born during a time when the Church had largely lost its way, had gotten so cozy with worldly power, had gotten addicted to money and influence, when the Church seemed to have forgotten that it was supposed to follow the poor man from Nazareth, Jesus.

            But, Francis heard an extraordinary call from God to rebuild the church – not with stone and mortar as he had originally thought – but by taking Jesus at his word and giving up everything to live a life of love.

            So, like a child, Francis loved other people – especially the poor – loved men and women, especially his beloved sister in Christ, Claire.

            Like a child, Francis loved the whole creation – preaching the Good News to the birds in trees, singing his song to “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon.”

            Francis loved poverty – not the grinding poverty created by greed and injustice – but holy poverty, a freely chosen poverty, the poverty that is total trust in God.

            And sure enough, when people saw Francis – saw how he lived – people recognized that there’s the love – and people began to join his movement – a movement that continues to this day – and the Church was reminded of the poor man from Nazareth.

            There’s the love.

            And now, here we are.

            Here we are.

            We live in a time when much that has been hidden is being uncovered.

We live in a time when hate, greed, and deceit are on the loose – and so many people are suffering – and many people are afraid of even more suffering on the way – and many are losing hope.

            We live in a time where much of the Church has gotten cozy with worldly power and has no trouble defending the indefensible.

            We are certainly called to raise our voices and to stand up for justice and to do our best to protect the most vulnerable people around us.

            But, most of all, in a time of fear and suffering – as we begin a new day together as a church – I challenge myself and I challenge all of us to be like loving children - to make tons of egg salad sandwiches for the hungry – to give to those in need – to welcome absolutely everybody - to sometimes bend the rules, not because they don’t matter but because love is the most important rule of all.

            I challenge all of us to live our lives – to be the kind of church – that when people ask, “Where’s the love?” they can look at us and say,

            “There it is.”

            “There’s the love.”

            “Here’s the love.”

            Amen.