"What does not pass away is love": Sermon for Sunday 14 October 2018

Sermon for Sunday 14 October 2018

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem

Joint Arabic-English worship service

The Rev. Carrie Ballenger Smith

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1 Corinthians 7:29-31

I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

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Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

“The present form of the world passes away,

And there remains only the joy of having used this world

to establish God’s rule here.

All pomp, all triumphs, all selfish capitalism,

All the false successes of life will pass

With the world’s form.

All of that passes away.

What does not pass away is love.

When one has turned money, property, work in one’s calling

Into service of others,

Then the joy of sharing

And the feeling that all are one’s family

Does not pass away.

In the evening of life you will be judged on love.

(January 21, 1979)

Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador preached these words in 1979, just one year before he was killed by an assassin, shot through the heart while celebrating the Eucharist. Today at the Vatican, Romero will be canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church. This is considered by many to be a long overdue moment which honors the fact that he, in the words of Pope John Paul II, gave his life “for the church and the people of his beloved country.”

During his ministry as parish priest and then as bishop, Oscar Romero did not write polished sermons or publish books of systematic theology. Instead, he spoke directly to the people of El Salvador about their lives and their sufferings. Through his homilies, parish newsletters, and weekly radio broadcasts, he preached the Gospel of love simply and clearly, assuring Salvadorans living in poverty that their struggles “touch the very heart of God.”

But Bishop Romero also took the Gospel message a step further, insisting that it is not enough for the church to merely sympathize with the poor. If human suffering disturbs God, then it should disturb the church. And if it disturbs the church, then the church is called to be a disturbing presence, opposing the authorities and systems and underlying structures causing people to suffer in the first place.

This theology of liberation was not well-received by the ruling authorities of El Salvador, who saw Bishop Romero’s sermons as inciting revolution and chaos among the poor. Ultimately, this is what led to his assassination. But political authorities are not the only ones challenged by such proclamations. There are also those within the church who would like to silence talk of the Gospel’s power to liberate people not only from sin but from oppression, too. Indeed, this is one reason Romero’s canonization today is so remarkable—Pope Francis is really making a bold statement, in spite of those who still consider liberation theology a threat.

To tell you the truth, it’s fascinating to me that anyone would find liberation theology to be radical or threatening to the church, because as we heard in the preaching text today from 1 Corinthians chapter 7, the idea that the present systems of the world will pass away (or be overthrown) is nothing new.

The Apostle Paul, speaking to the church in Corinth, wrote:

“I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short…The present form of this world is passing away.”

The present world is passing away. Sounds like change, doesn’t it? Sounds like transformation. Sounds like liberation. Sounds a bit like revolution…

To be clear, Paul is not talking here simply about the end of the world. He did not say “the world is passing away”, although he certainly believed Jesus would return during his lifetime. In verse 31, when Paul says, “the present form of this world is passing away”, the Greek word translated as “present form” is “schema”, which means the “underlying organizational pattern or structure.” In other words, Paul is telling the Christians of Corinth that the whole messed up system of this world will soon be over. In fact, in light of the Resurrection it is already obsolete! The social structures, the hierarchies, the systems of government, the powers and principalities which seem to rule our behaviors and determine our futures, these things that seem permanent and unchangeable—all of them are passing away, to be replaced by God’s kingdom of peace, justice, love, and yes, liberation.

Friends, there are days when this seems like very Good News indeed. There are so many things of this world that I would like to see pass away, and quickly:

Occupation. White supremacy. Patriarchy. Terrorism. Cancer. Poverty. Sexual assault. Just to name a few!

These present forms of the world I am more than happy to see pass away! Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

But we can’t read these words of Paul without dealing with those other verses—his curious suggestions to the Corinthians about how to live in the meantime.  

Paul says, “The appointed time has grown short—things are about to change!” and then five times, he suggests that Christians are to live in the meantime “as though not.”

Live “as though not married.”

Live “as though not mourning,”

Live “as though not rejoicing.”

Live “as though not owning anything.”

Live “as though not dealing with this world.”

I can just imagine the Corinthians saying: “Excuse me, Paul? How exactly do I have a wife, or a husband, and pretend that I don’t?”

What is this about?

We must remember that Paul truly believed Jesus’ return was imminent. He expected Jesus’ return within his lifetime, for sure. This is not unique to Paul of course—countless Christians have predicted Jesus’ imminent return, in spite of Scripture which clearly tells us that we can know neither the day nor the hour of his return.

When we read these instructions we also remember that Paul lived a very specific lifestyle: He was an unmarried, traveling preacher. This afforded him a lot of freedom—freedom to travel, freedom to preach and speak against the powers that be, and freedom to risk arrest, among other things. In some of his other writings, Paul expresses his belief that this same situation would be a preferable lifestyle for every Christian. (An opinion that was not, obviously, adopted by the entire church.)

But I don’t think Paul is asking the Corinthians to leave everything and become itinerant preachers. He does not say “no one should be married.” He says, “live as though not married.” Live “as though not mourning, or having financial obligations, or belonging to the systems of this world.”

This is not a call to withdraw from the world. This is not to suggest that we ignore family or career or responsibilities, and simply wait for Jesus to return and take care of things.

Rather, I hear Paul calling Christians to the right ordering of things. I hear him reminding the early church (and disciples today) that nothing in this world lasts forever. Yes, that means relationships. And careers. And health. And youth. It means seasons of grief and seasons of joy.

It also means political regimes. And military occupations.

It means racist agendas, and wars, and patriarchy.

These are all part of the present form of this world, and while much of it is beautiful and good and worthy of celebration, much of it is not. And all of it—every bit of this “schema”—will one day pass away.

These oppressive structures, these unjust systems, this patriarchal society, this disease, this grief, this broken and sinful world is not all there is.

All too often, we give these underlying structures and systems far too much authority over us. We act as if they, not God, were ordering the universe. We act as if they, and not the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, give meaning to our days and to our lives. 

And so, we find ways to navigate the checkpoints or airport security, rather than insist that the wall come down and the occupation end.

We laugh off sexist or racist jokes rather than speaking our truth.

We build more soup kitchens to feed the poor rather than voting in leaders who will address poverty and income inequality.

And we accept the gradual destruction of our planet, rather than using our God-given wisdom to slow the progression of climate change.

When we live in this way, we give far too much power and authority to sin and death, to the things that oppose the Kingdom of God.

As Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker once wrote:

“Our problems stem from our acceptance of this filthy rotten system.”

Dear siblings in Christ, we are under no obligation to honor these filthy, rotten systems. By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has shown us that indeed, all the schemes of this world, all these filthy rotten systems are just that:

Rotten. Decaying. Dying. Passing away. Even death itself has been shown to have no power over us.

We have been liberated and set free from sin and death, and now in Christ we live in the hope of the Kingdom to come. We live with the joy of knowing that all of the world’s mess is passing away, even now.

And even better: We get to be part of kicking it out the door.

The world is about to turn, and thanks be to God we get the joy and the privilege of being part of the turning! We can give these systems and structures, these powers and principalities, exactly the amount of authority they deserve—which is none whatsoever.

We can speak truth to power. We can march in the streets if necessary. We can love our neighbors and our enemies. We can share resources. We can care for the planet. We can come to the table and eat the Bread of Heaven!

As Paul wrote, we can live, and love, as though not bound to the present form of this world--because we know that we are not.

When it all starts to feel hopeless, friends, remember: This filthy, rotten system is not forever. It may sometimes feel that way! But it’s not.

The occupation does not make the rules. The wall is not permanent.

 In fact, it is already passing away. It is already a figment of our imagination, for as it is written: “He is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” (Ephesians 2:14)

Hear again the words of Archbishop Oscar Romero, soon to be St. Oscar Romero:

“God’s reign is already present on our earth in mystery. When the Lord comes, it will be brought to perfection…That is the hope that inspires Christians. We know that every effort to better society, especially when injustice and sin are so ingrained, is an effort that God blesses, that God wants, that God demands of us.” (March 24, 1980)

This passage was spoken only minutes before Archbishop Romero’s sudden death, as part of his last sermon to his people.

Strengthened by these words, and by the words of the Apostle Paul, my prayer is that we will now go out with good courage, remembering as we fight the good fight that none of these structures will ever triumph over the Gospel. These present forms of the world will all come tumbling down—in fact are already passing away. And in their place is the Kingdom of God, and the love of Christ for every sinner, which will never pass away.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.