Costly Faith
Last week we began our year-long journey in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew begins his gospel with Jesus’ ancestry back to Abraham. The four mothers included in the genealogy have difficult stories. One is neglected and forced to trick her father in law into fathering her son to carry on her deceased husband’s lineage–Tamar. Rahab might have been a sex worker in Jericho (the Hebrew is a little ambiguous) who helped the spies of the Hebrew army rather than following the orders of the king. One is an immigrant from a particularly despised neighboring nation–Ruth from Moab. One is the wife of an immigrant general who is betrayed and murdered by David, the king and father of her child–Uriah’s wife Bathsheba.
By highlighting these women’s costly faiths which took them in very new directions, Matthew defines faith not so much as following traditional, comfortable social customs but as giving courage to make personally costly choices, faithful choices which will probably putCCo one at odds with a more dominant, established religious and cultural tradition.
Matthew is setting the stage for the Good News of Jesus Christ which pulls us in a new direction which might result in conflict. Matthew’s Gospel proclaims an uncomfortable, tradition breaking faith. Something new was needed in the first century. Is something new needed now?
Matthew’s Gospel is likely written to a church made up of Jewish people who had been rejected by family and the traditional Jewish community. So Matthew emphasizes that Jesus received his message from the ancient Hebrew and Jewish prophets and practiced the Jewish law and faith. Matthew invites the listener to practice a courageous faith, especially when it involves costly choices.
After Matthew’s stories of Jesus’ early life, we jump forward several decades to hear John the Baptist calling his people to repent, to receive God’s mercy and to practice it toward others because the Anointed One of God was coming. . .who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This is not a destructive, punishing fire, but one that frees us from unfaithfulness, selfish greed, and fear. It burns away chaff, stubble, dead branches and leaves. Even when trees are cut down, sprouts grow up from the roots.
My faith growing from the Scriptures reveals the Spirit of God, the Spirit of salvation, the Spirit of life at work in the universe to be a constructive, creative rather than destructive, punishing force. Humans punish, God Redeems. Whenever we hear of a punishing God, we must beware the human influence.
Matthew invites us through the words of John the Baptist to repent, to replace our trust in comfortable customs, traditions, and heritage, with the mercy of God for us and around us. Our Advent preparation to receive the Son of God begins with deep humility for what we assume we know, and how we know it to be true. Is it based on what the Spirit has revealed, or based on what well intentioned people have assured us? Again, my faith has taught me that the only thing I can trust is faithful love.
Paul in Romans joins Isaiah and Matthew in proclaiming God’s welcome and mercy for all, not just those who appear worthy. All are welcome at the table, and we embrace the Spirit of Christ when we welcome all people.
Our Advent discipline involves sharing resources, making room even for those who may have made poor choices in the past, room for those who do not have strong family and friend networks, regardless of addictions, gender identity, or those to whom they are attracted.
Be on the alert to welcome especially those we are tempted to neglect. In doing so, the promise of God is that we will find new hope, new love, new joy, leading to renewed peace. This is the Good News of the Kingdom of God which never disappoints.
We do well to take seriously and be mindful of the faith of Isaiah, Matthew, Paul, and all the other saints who have gone before us showing how to welcome with the love of Jesus. God give us courage to practice the life-giving, personally costly, and culturally disruptive faith of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.
Amen.