A sermon given to All Saints Anglican Church on September 7, 2008 at the Convent Chapel of St. Mary's Medical Center in Huntington WV, based on Romans 12:9-21.
Imagine for a moment that you’re the King of Syria in about 825 BC and you’re fighting against Israel. You've been having a rough time of it because even though you have taken extraordinary precautions to keep your war plans secret, every time you make a move against your enemy, your plan fails. You set up an ambush where you think the king of Israel is going to be, and poof, he’s gone. This happens over and over, and pretty soon your intelligence people tell you the enemy has a tactical advantage – a prophet named Elisha who foresees everything you’re going to do!
Naturally, you’re frustrated, so you decide to send your troops out to catch this guy - not just a platoon of commandos, but “horses and chariots and a great army, [sent out] by night [to] surround the city of Dothan, where Elisha was staying.
Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up to do his morning chores. He looked out the window and saw this huge army and freaked out. He ran to Elisha and said, “What should we do?! What should we do?!”
Elisha was drinking a cup of coffee and reading the morning prophetic dispatches from the angel Gabriel. Cool as a cucumber he looked up and said to his servant:
“Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.”
The LORD opened the eyes of the servant and he saw that “…the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. …when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” [So God obliged] and struck them with blindness … And Elisha said to [the soldiers], “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.
As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “OOH! OOH! Should I kill ‘em, should I kill ‘em?!
“Easy junior, “says Elisha to the King. “Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” So the king prepared …a great feast, and when [his enemies] had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, …they went [home]. And they didn't come [back] … 2 Kings 6:8-23).
Now, what dya think of them apples!
Well, I think it’s very possible that the apostle Paul had this story in mind when he wrote: “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Rom. 9:20)
Actually, this itself is a quote from Proverbs 25:21, 22:
“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
Paul is demonstrating to us that Christianity is Jewish at root. Many times we tend to think that there is this radical disconnect between the message of the Old Testament and the New – that the Old Testament is full of Law and Judgment and the New is all about Love; that they’re two different messages altogether, but try this on for size:
17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Lev. 19:17)
Sounds familiar doesn't it? That comes in the middle of a chapter that has lots to say about how to treat your neighbor: Don’t lie, cheat or steal. Don’t oppress your neighbor. Treat the workman fairly. Make provision for the disabled. Treat everyone the same. Don’t slander your neighbor…
It’s all the same basic message, consistent across the Testaments. And it can be summed up in the two great commandments: Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. Pretty simple. In a minute, we’ll see how Paul applies this principle as he gives the Romans pastoral advice.
But to reinforce this idea that the message is the same, I’d like to show you another example – and this has to do with the …
Consistency of God’s Character OT and NT
Exodus 34:6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
Nehemiah 9:17 … But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Psalm 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Joel 2:13 … rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
Jonah 4:2 … I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
Luke 6:36Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
The message about how to act towards your neighbor is the same across the testaments and so is the message about God’s nature! He is the same God, yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8) – in case we didn't get it: gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
Consistency of Love Witnesses to the World (Marks of a Christian)
Now, if God gives us a consistent message of Love towards our neighbors, and if his Nature itself in consistently loving, we ourselves should manifest Love in our behavior – and Paul gives us a long laundry list of things to do. Follow along with me on your handout:
The Laundry List of Love: Romans 12: 9-21
Let love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil;
Hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection.
Outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not be slothful in zeal,
Be fervent in spirit,
Serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
Be patient in tribulation,
Be constant in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints
Seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice,
Weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty
Associate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight.
Repay no one evil for evil,
Give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.
If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If [your enemy] is thirsty, give him something to drink
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
How this witnesses to the world:
The world is sick and tired of charlatans, cheats and failures. Almost every segment of our society has seen major figures succumb to ethical or moral failure: Olympic athletes, corporate finance moguls, politicians, actors and actresses, and yes, even preachers. There is a sort of jaded cynicism that pervades our thinking about anyone in the public eye, about anyone who claims to stand for something.
But I keep on remembering something that David Frederick reported to us about the people he ministered to in the prison: There is no defense against Love!
The world doesn't know what to make of love that reaches out in unexpected ways. Yesterday some of us gathered at Flapjack’s restaurant and prayed for the and the owner. We prayed for the success of the enterprise and we gave them a cross to commemorate our visit. Now, granted these folks weren't our enemies, but they sure were appreciative. Kia, the manager, hung that cross up in a prominent place right away. She let us know she was Roman Catholic, but assured us that she might like to visit some time.
And another interesting thing happened. While we walking over to pray for the owner, a young man caught my attention and said, “Father, I just wanted to say I was sorry for swearing just now…”
Interesting things happen when we walk in love and extend blessing to others.
I’m eager to do a BUB for the Chevron station on Hal Greer and Charleston Avenue, which reopened on Labor Day. I made the acquaintance of Abe, the young man who manages the station, Audley Kilburn and I were doing our Litter-Gittin' rounds the past two Fridays. When we explained that we were from Hope House and that we would like to pray for the success of their business, he was taken back. “I’m a Muslim,” he said, “but we all pray to the same God, and I think it would be cool.”
I think it would be cool too. When we walk in Love interesting things happen. Friends, I encourage you to extend Love to all those around you. I assure you that you will have interesting experiences. You’ll receive back more than you give, and you might just win over you enemy.
May God give us a spirit of boldness and creativity as we reach out to our world in Love. AMEN.
