[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 7A

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-------- Original message --------From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org> Date: 2/18/17  7:55 PM  (GMT-05:00) To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org> Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 7A 


Dear Friends,

 

This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Jesus and Divorce”
or “WWJD?” and deals with last Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 5:21-37).  Last Sunday we read the Bp. Todd Ousley’s
pastoral letter.  Here it is: 

 

Today, we are going to
think through a subject from last Sunday’s Bible lessons, because it is so
important and causes so much stress. 
We’re going to think through the implications of divorce.

 

Did you hear the story
of the little boy who was fascinated by the old family Bible that sat on the
living room coffee table?  One day as he
was fingering through it, something fell out of the Bible.  He picked it up and looked at it.  What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed
in between the pages.  “Mama, look what I
found!” the boy called out.  “What do you
have there, dear?” his mother asked. 
With astonishment in the young boy’s voice, he answered: “It’s really
old- I think it’s Adam’s underwear!”  Remember
that extremely ancient story from the Old Testament book of Genesis- Adam and
the creation of Eve?  In it are some
basic teachings about marriage?  An
ancient Jewish tradition points out this truth about Eve and her relationship
to Adam: “Not from his head to lord it over him; not from his feet to be lorded
over; but from his rib (next to his heart) to walk side by side as a partner.  The Bible describes them as “one flesh?”  This tells us that marriage is not the
ceremony (because there was none), but the coupling- mind to mind, heart to
heart, body to body that constituted the marriage.  The logical extension of this is that if you
are in a sexual, loving relationship with someone (especially if you have a
child by that person), you are also married to that person.  These days most people who think they’re
single have actually been married a number of times in God’s eyes.

 

Another story: did you
hear about the conversation between God and Adam?  God asked Adam, “What’s wrong with you?  All I see you do these days is mope
around.”  Adam said he didn’t have anyone
to talk to.  God said he would make a
companion for Adam, and the companion would be a woman.  God said, “This person will gather food for
you; and when you discover clothing, she’ll wash it for you.  She will always agree with every decision you
make.  She will bear your children and
never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them.  She will not nag you and will always be the
first to admit she was wrong when you’ve had a disagreement.  She will never have a headache and will
freely give you love and passion whenever you want it.”  Adam asked God, “What will a woman like this
cost?”  God replied, “An arm and a
leg!”  Adam commented, “That’s way too
expensive!  What could I get for a
rib?”  The rest is history!  He got Eve. 
He got trouble.  He got woman,
actually woe-man!  That’s what I’d like
us to look at for the rest of our sermon- the potential trouble men and women
can get into with their relationships, and – since Jesus specifically addressed
it in last Sunday’s gospel- divorce.

 

Did you notice what
Jesus said?  NO DIVORCE, and REMARRIAGE
AFTER DIVORCE PRODUCES ADULTERY.  Those
are really harsh words, and they seem to have absolutely no “wiggle-room.”  How is it then that the Episcopal Church
allows divorce plus remarriage after divorce (with the permission of the
bishop)?  Is it because we’re not a
Bible-believing church?  Not true!  We read more Bible lessons than most
denominations (usually four).  We ARE a
Bible-believing church and try to live that way.  We are also an honest church.  Most churches work hard to find loop-holes to
allow for divorce.  Some don’t allow
divorce but do declare annulments to marriages, including many with children.  Some look the other way when members get a
divorce and then go before the justice of the peace to get married.  Many don’t manage to notice when members
“play around”- and you know as well as I do that many a pastor is considered a
“lady’s man.”  We Episcopalians work and
struggle to have a livable Bible faith. 
While others seem to ask the question: “What DID Jesus do?” we ask what
WOULD Jesus do if he lived now, here, in the 21st century?  To do that, we need to start with what it was
like living when Jesus lived, because this will give us a clue why he said what
he said about divorce.  From that- with
the Spirit’s wisdom to guide us, we can think through what he would probably
say and do today, because it’s clear that marriage and divorce in the first
century are not the same as marriage and divorce in the twenty-first century.

 

Here are the facts
about life, marriage, and divorce in Jesus’ time:

Marriages were not instituted by the couple falling in
love.  Marriages were arranged by the
parents involved.  This means that for a
man to divorce his wife was to dishonor his parents, who had chosen the wife
and contracted for her purchase (bride money- remember, we women were owned by
our men).  It broke the 5th
commandment (“Honor your father and your mother.”)Marriages were between two extended families, not two
individuals.  When a male from one family
and a female from another family were offered in marriage, it was frequently
for social, political, or economic reasons; and the two families became one
united family.  When a man divorced his
wife, it separated the family into two usually-feuding groups.  Bloodshed often followed.While Roman law allowed a woman to divorce her husband
as well as a husband to divorce his wife, Jewish law did not allow women to
divorce their husbands.  Only husbands
could divorce wives.  (Remember- Jesus
was a Jew speaking to Jewish men.)>Continued in Part 2
For anyone who is
interested, this sermon and updated African-American wisdom statements are
posted on our parish’s web site under “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org .Blessed preaching,Judy BoliSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchSaginaw, Michigan



































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