You see, tough things are ahead. For awhile now, we’ve talked about things. Now, it’s time to do some walking. It’s time for us to go “Into the Woods,” to enter the wilderness.
If you’re human, you have anger. Even the people we see as being particularly genteel had anger. Mr. Rogers got angry. Mother Teresa got angry. Jesus himself got angry.
Because, friends, you are the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Jesus is talking to us, today, to his Church - a Church that should make its home not in the confines of a beautiful building but in the brokenness of the world outside it.
There are some who think that the Church should be a neutral institution. But that’s just not what the Beatitudes teach us. The Church is not called to be neutral. The Church must take a side because God takes a side.
As Presbyterians, we do not believe that we achieve salvation for ourselves. The words and waters of baptism are not some magic potion that secures our salvation, whether baptized as an infant or as an adult. Baptism is a recognition and joyful reminder that God has sealed us into God’s life and love.
I think the unexpected gift that day was that peace was birthed into this world despite the violence that threatened it. Indeed, peace is still being birthed into this world despite the violence that currently threatens it. Over the past few days, the news has been dominated by the escalating tensions between our country and Iran. And I think it’s a good time to be reminded that we’ve never found peace by killing our enemies. More often than not, killing our “enemies” ends up creating even more of them.