7 Epiphany Year C 2/23/2025
Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50; Luke 6:27-38
Rev. Mark A. Lafler
I asked the internet this question:
What is the number one problem in the world?
And what appeared are these top eight problems:
- Climate Change.
- Wars and military conflicts.
- Water contamination.
- Human rights violation.
- Global health issues.
- Global poverty.
- Children’s poor access to healthcare, education and safety.
- Access to food and hunger.
All of them are certainly big problems and challenging obstacles to overcome in our world.
They also have at least one thing in common – people.
It will take the cooperation of people to overcome each of them or at least to make the problems less harmful.
So many, if not all, the problems we face in our world have to do with the fact that some people don’t get along with other people.
Only causing hardship for other people.
The problem though is not just with massive global difficulties.
It’s in our personal lives too.
If we are all honest, likely, the most difficult moments we have in life and have had… are due to conflicts with other people.
Relationships are just plain hard.
In Pamela Reeve’s small book on Relationships, she shares this story:
Not long ago I walked by a wall poster that brought me back for a second look.
I can’t remember the artwork,
but I’ve never forgotten the pithy, pointed message:
“Involvement with people is always a very delicate thing….
It requires real maturity to become involved and not get all messed up.”
Our first reading and our Gospel have a similar theme built into them.
We might call it: The Difficulty with Relationships.
In our reading from Genesis, we heard the ending of the story of Joseph.
Many of us are familiar with the narrative.
Joseph was the favored son of his father, Jacob.
His brothers were many and they were jealous, and their envy got the best of them.
They threw Joseph in a pit hoping he would just rot away…
They lied to their dad that he had been eaten by a wild animal.
And then Joseph was sold into slavery and ended up in Egypt.
In Egypt he had a mixed life…
Spending time in the best that Egypt offered…
And he also spent time in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Even so, God used him to help Egypt prepare for a great famine which eventually kept his own family alive when they came to Egypt seeking help.
Our reading picks up around this time…
When he confronted his brothers for the first time after they had…
Tried to kill him,
Lied to his dad,
And sold him into slavery hoping to never see him again.
Joseph, here keeps his boundary, making sure they were not out to harm him some more…
But he also chooses to forgive them and make amends.
Our reading ends with this verse.
And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them;
and after that his brothers talked with him.
I would think that those talks after were a bit awkward…
Eventually maybe tender and endearing…
But the story points to forgiveness and love.
In our reading from the Gospel of Luke we hear the words of Jesus teaching the people…
It’s the parallel passage from the Gospel of Matthew (i.e. the Sermon on the Mount).
Jesus doesn’t hold back much to guess…
As he shares what his followers are to be like…
What radical love looks like…
Even to enemies.
They are pretty tough words to live by.
A law that is impeccable.
Let’s hear them again…
From The Message paraphrase, Jesus says:
Love your enemies.
Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.
When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer for that person.
If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it.
If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.
If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life.
No more payback.
Live generously.
Love your enemies.
The Greek word here is echthros …
and refers to personal enemies…
Such as the people in our life that challenge us…
or are out to get us…
To make us look bad…
Enemies who desire to see us fail.
In fact, our own word – enemy is derived from the Latin…
The prefix “en” means “not” and the root word is derived from the Latin word amicus which means friend.
So, an enemy is someone who is not-a-friend.
It’s a personal relationship that has gone bad.
The relationship has soured.
To the point where there is scorn or hate for each other.
In both of these readings from Genesis and Luke…
We have relationships that have turned ugly.
People hurting other people.
This isn’t too far from our own lives…
As we all have difficult relationships in our life.
One’s that we really and truly struggle with.
What are we to do with all of these relationships?
They are not just going to disappear…
They are not going away…
And throughout our life…
Relationships are always going to be the biggest struggle…
One of the coaches on my daughter’s softball team once said:
Being comfortable during the uncomfortable times is how you grow.
Of course, coach meant growing in your softball skills in the context.
But I think it works here too.
Relationships can be uncomfortable at times, what you do in those uncomfortable situations is what makes the difference.
All relationships are going to be uncomfortable at one time or another.
And our emotions say:
Just run away,
avoid this person…
Get-a-way!
But instead of …
Not running from conflict…
Not avoiding all relationships that are hard…
Deal with it…
Sure, there are somethings in this world that need a deeper healing and proper boundaries… abusive or violent relationships for example.
But most difficult relationships are not cause for avoidance and exclusion.
Jesus said in our Gospel reading:
I tell you, love your enemies….
Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously,
even when we’re at our worst.
Our Father is kind;
So you be kind.
And that gets to the heart of the matter.
Jesus – he is always the heart of the matter.
You see, relationships are what Christ came to fix.
God came to restore our relationship with him, with others, and with his creation.
We call it redemption or reconciliation.
Because of our sin, we are separated from God.
And our first need is a restored relationship with God.
God reconciles us to himself through the life, death, and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ.
Instead of running away from a difficult and uncomfortable relationship…
God sent Jesus into the world to restore the relationship.
And through Jesus we can be forgiven, healed, and reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians says it really well (5.18-20):
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting people’s sins against them.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ’s behalf:
Be reconciled to God.
The appeal is to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ…
And in turn…
We are ambassadors…
Representatives…
Of Christ in this world.
We share the good news of reconciliation in this fallen world.
In the injustices between people…
In the difficult relationships…
In the uncomfortable times…
In our day to day lives…
We are ministers of Christ Jesus’ reconciliation.
Just like Joseph was in our reading from Genesis.
Just like Jesus taught in our reading from Luke.
I think a good way to end our talk this morning is to remind ourselves of the collect appointed for today.
Our request that we prayed in the collect was this:
Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift,
which is love…
That’s probably the perfect place to start in all our relationships…
Especially the tough ones.
Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift,
which is love…
Let’s take that prayer to heart and walk in God’s grace and mercy.
Walking in Jesus’ reconciliation, redemption, and forgiveness.
Amen.
