Isaiah 2:10-17
Romans 6:3-11
Matthew 10:34-42
Psalm 89:1-18 or 89:1-4,15-18
The American flag is a confusing symbol sometimes and this one's all mixed up. It's a "Magic Eye" picture. Put it up close to your nose and try to stare through it. Keep staring and slowly move it away. There is a something else there. It's a hidden peace sign. (If you can't see it, click HERE to see the shape.)
In some ways this flag means peace. Peace is part of our American dream. But more often flags show up at war time or times when people disagree. Notice how many more flags we have since the attack last September? The message of a flag divides people; it says "I belong here and others do not."
This week, on the Fourth of July, we celebrate Independence Day. We wave our flags to show our independence from the British people who wave a different flag.
Putting a flag and a peace symbol together is like putting opposite messages together – it can say both "we are divided and going to fight" and "we want peace."
Jesus puts opposite messages together in the Bible; sometimes says he gives us peace and togetherness, and other times, like today, says he brings a sword and division.
The bad and the good seem all mixed up together. Sometimes following a flag may mean that people have to leave their families; for the families that feels bad – it's scary and sad. But those who leave to follow the flag usually go to fight so that their families can live; people sometimes leave their families because they love their families.
Jesus says following him can be like that – loving Jesus more may be scary and sad for our families but putting Jesus first really means more life and more love for our families.
Sometimes opposites do go together. We know that sometimes our flag can mean peace. Jesus brings both peace and a sword and both help us remember to put God first.
When you look at a magic eye picture you know there's something more there than most people see at first. Following Jesus is like that – he shows us something more about our lives. You can take the pictures to remind you of the good things that can be hiding the scary times.
"I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."
"Enter into the rock, hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD"
Where is our gentle, sweet, peace-loving Jesus this morning? We've heard the stuff about taking up the cross and following. We know that being a Christian isn't always easy. But what's all this about the sword and dividing up households?
As Christians we believe that our togetherness -- our communion – is one way in which we reflect God's love. And every Sunday we greet one another with "the peace of the Lord."
Just imagine turning to your mother in the pew and saying "peace be with you" ... and she pulls out a sword and replies, "Jesus set me against you!" I'd be ready to run behind a rock or hide in the dust.
That's what Jesus says he came to do. Jesus the outside agitator ... setting family members against each other. If having Jesus come into my life means my family will be against me I'm not sure I'm interested in this deal.
It seems that Jesus has got everything mixed up. No wonder his disciples kept misunderstanding him: First he says one thing and then he says the opposite. We know that in other places he talks about giving peace, but then here he brings a sword.
Then he's always saying mixed-up stuff like: "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."
He puts those opposite, seemingly incompatible things together. I guess Jesus really does have magic eyes. He sees things the rest of us keep staring and looking for.
Now most people suggest that this passage – "whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me..." – is about priorities. In spite of Jesus's being rather direct elsewhere about leaving everything, we want to think that this hard language about family division means that we are to love God first and then our families, rather than having to choose between them.
After all that is the Summary of the Law:
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. ..."
That's what Jesus says his followers are to do: Love God first. Love others second.
But much of the rest of the world just skips to the second commandment.
Good people everywhere, Christian or not, recognize the value of love. There are many people who love their families and friends and neighbors, but who have no place in their lives for God.
These are the ones about whom we say (usually at their funerals), "She never went to church, but she was a better Christian than I am." Or, "He didn't believe in God, but he was a very godly man."
The implication is that going to church, spending time in prayer and reflecting on the Bible, and doing those things we promise in our Baptismal Covenant don't really make much difference in how we live our lives. The suggestion is that loving God is less important than loving neighbor. Or that loving your neighbor is enough.
Jesus says this won't do. And in today's gospel he uses some pretty strong and disturbing language to say so: Your family will be your enemies. If you love your son more than you love Jesus, you are not worthy.
But really, what difference does it make? How is the good Christian here any different from good atheist, down the street? They seem to be doing the same kind and loving things – caring for their families, supporting worthy charities, volunteering to help others. Really, what difference does it make?
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, says it's very different: a baptized Christian has died with Christ and has new life.
A Christian is transformed and becomes part of the body of Christ. So the Christian sees with "magic eyes," with the eyes of Christ. She looks death in the face and sees life. He looks at how people hurt each other and sees the possibility of forgiveness. She looks at this broken, hurting, war-filled world and sees the coming of the kingdom of healing and peace. He looks at her neighbor and sees Jesus.
She looks at the cross – that supreme mixture of opposites – and sees not just an terrible instrument of death but the certainty of eternal life.
A Christian's view of the whole world is transformed because she believes that God loved the world so much that God came to live as one of us. That makes all the world godly. With Christ's magic eyes, she sees hope behind the ups and downs of life.
When God is put first, those Christian magic eyes see God everywhere: we see the God the Father in creation, the God the Son in the pain and the healing of the world, and God the Spirit in the love.
Now none of us Christians is blessed with perfect vision. Most of us have to stare for a long time before we see anything. But we know there's something more there.
There IS a difference for those who put love of God before love of family. The behavior may look the same, but the vision is different.
When we love Jesus first, God becomes part of our love for our families; the love becomes something bigger that just us. So God's love is still there when ours falls short, and God's love leads to eternal life.
A kind and loving good atheist sits with his dying mother, giving thanks for her life and their time together, tenderly and tearfully touching her hand at the end. When she dies, he is alone with his memories.
A kind and loving good Christian sits with his dying mother, giving thanks for her life and their time together, tenderly and tearfully touching her hand at the end. When she dies, he too is alone with his memories.
But look long and closely enough with the eyes of Christ and "alone" becomes "together" and even "death" becomes "life." Look long and closely enough an the Christian sees hope.
The Cross of Jesus shows us blessings in the most painful moments of our lives. Take up your cross and open your eyes.
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