Lael Murphy Sermons

The Old South Church in Boston

“Images of a New Era”
Sermon by Lael P. Murphy
Luke 6: 1-11
February 11, 2001

Every age has its artists.Writers, painters, musicians – visionary men and women working to capture the reality of their experience, the truth of their times.Echoing the delight and powers of our own Creator, such expression gives voice to the Spirit within, visions of beauty as well as of pain made visible for the world to see.As described by the feminist theologian Mary Daly, “It is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God.”

In our nations recent past one such creator is Norman Rockwell.As American as baseball and apple pie, this illustrator created hundreds of vivid images of life in the middle class through his lifetime of drawing and painting.With his carefully composed pictures gracing 322 mass-produced covers of the Saturday Evening Post and his portraits hanging on the walls of countless private homes, Rockwell’s art offered this nation both a reassuring image of itself and a commentary on its most cherished principles.From his illustrations depicting the four freedoms during the Second World War to more common scenes of everyday family and social life, Rockwell gave us all an indelible portrayal of the twentieth century era.Yet this man was no critic’s darling; he was often accused of being sentimental or overly optimistic.Once asked by an interviewer why he so consistently portrayed scenes that were positive and pleasing to the eye, Rockwell said, “I just painted life the way I’d like it to be.”

These could well be the words of the author of our gospel reading today.With a clear perception of what was going on in his time, Luke worked to create images of life the way he’d like it to be.In this gospel as well as in the book of Acts he used his creative powers and historic perceptions to convey the truth of the Gospel:that in Christ came a new and radical age; that through Christ God’s message of healing and reconciliation was offered.Through the stories in this book and the one that followed Luke paints the picture of a new era, one in which the glorious plan of God is worked out through the actions of Christ and his disciples.

That’s what we observe in our text this morning.Seeing those men eating small kernels of grain in the first portion of our reading we witness a new age breaking in, one in which the hope of the Gospel is proclaimed.At first glance it may appear to be a simple scene about Sabbath law, but with a closer look we understand that these verses are about inclusion in God’s new realm.Luke is writing, after all, to a community struggling with its Jewish roots as Gentile and pagan converts clamor at the door.Who should be admitted in?Who should be shut out?Debates about food and Sabbath laws remained at the core of this budding tradition.And so Luke paints a picture with these verses, calling Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath, placing him higher even higher than King David as he defends the disciples’ actions.With this image we witness Luke opening the door to newcomers.

Then we come to the second portion of the passage, one that offers further healing.While the presence of hunger gave a sense of urgency to the first Sabbath account, there is no such pressing need in this story.Orthodox law, you see, states that on the Sabbath medical treatment may be offered only if a life is in danger.There’s no such threat here.Instead we see a man with a permanent disability, one that he has lived with for years and might well endure for another twelve to twenty-four hours.But does that stop Jesus?What does this newly proclaimed Lord choose to do?Standing there beside the man with the withered hand he says to those who question him, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”With those words he makes his point loud and clear:good must prevail; healing must be offered.No matter what the time or place, Jesus comes to reach out to those in need of God’s loving touch.Pushing the boundaries of his faith tradition Luke once again creates an image of welcoming renewal through this scene.It’s a vision of inclusion and reconciliation.

I’ve always loved the words of Claude Monet who said, “I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”That’s the kind of testimony Luke offers in these writings.Moved by the beauty and power of Christ this author works to capture the essence of salvation so that others may be saved as well.Luke is both an artist and historian of great conviction.

Another visionary of great conviction was William Blake.Both poet and painter, Blake created words and images that sprang from a heart filled with passion for God and spiritual liberation.From his compelling collections of poems like “Songs of Innocence and of Experience” to his shorter individual works Blake captured both life as he saw it and life how he wanted it to be at the end of the eighteenth century.Like Luke it was his experience of God that fueled his creativity, giving him the energy and ability to produce visions that would endure for generations.As described by one biographer, Michael Davis, Blake “was always an adventurous, experimental craftsman, seeking new ways to give compelling visual form to his ideas.”We know that he was also an advocate for the poor, the orphaned and the abused.As described in the poem “Holy Thursday” he believed,

…where-e’er the sun does shine,

And where-e’er the rain does fall,

Babe can never hunger there,

Nor poverty the mind appall.

William Blake was a prophet before his time, consistently asserting that “everything that lives is Holy,” an assurance he came to understand through his passionate faith in God.In the poem titled “The Divine Image” he writes,

To Mercy Pity Peace and Love

All pray in their distress;

And to these virtues of delight

Return their thankfulness.

For Mercy Pity Peace and Love,

Is God our father dear:

And Mercy Pity Peace and Love,

Is Man his child and care.

For Mercy has a human heart

Pity, a human face:

And Love, the human form divine,

And Peace, the human dress.

Then every man of every clime,

That prays in his distress,

Prays to the human form divine

Love Mercy Pity Peace.

And all must love the human form,

In heathen, Turk or Jew.

Where Mercy, Love and Pity dwell,

There God is dwelling too.

What an image of a new era.Rebelling against religious authorities and political systems, Blake creates the vision of a world unified by the ever-present Spirit of God.Yet, applauding him here in the twenty-first century we remember that during his lifetime the response was not so glowing.Misunderstood by his peers and undervalued by patrons, Blake spent most of his impassioned life poor and outcast.Even Wordsworth, a colleague who held Blake in at least mild esteem, considered him a “mad man.”None of this stopped William Blake.He continued writing and etching, bringing to light images we now treasure.

Luke, too, was misunderstood in his time.From our modern perspective this can be easily overlooked as we bristle at the Pharisees in our passage today rather than at the bold teachings of Christ.We need to remember that back in seventy and eighty A.D. Luke was going out on a dangerous limb, breaking the mold to tear down barriers of class and culture and faith tradition.Like Blake he was a prophet living in inhospitable times as he created new visions of who was in and who was out, of who could call the shots and who needed to take a back seat in these pivotal religious debates.Here in these verses introducing Christ’s compelling Sermon on the Plain Luke works to destroy the stereotypes that threatened to obliterate the power of the Christian message.He was creating an image of a new era where all are called and all are welcomed.

Writers like Luke and William Blake may remind us of the words of Fra Angelica who said, “[One] who wishes to paint Christ's picture must live with Christ.”Luke did that.Blake did as well.Infused with God’s grace these prophetic disciples painted pictures of healing and reconciliation, defending the outcasts, embracing the poor.Living in times that called for a radical portrayal of God’s truth they gave radical witness to Christ’s teachings.They laid it all on the line, risking their lives and reputations, for the sake of the Gospel.

You’d think it could stop there.You’d think that from Luke to Blake there’d be enough images to change the world permanently.Eighteen centuries, after all.But unfortunately, as we know too well, things still need to change.Sadly, human nature continues to take its toll on the hope Christ comes to offer.We see the proof all around us as here at the start of this new millennium men and women continue to be denied access to educational, work and housing opportunities in our nation because of the color of their skin.Here, even in the heart of liberal New England, faithful Christians remain excluded from church pews and pulpits because of their gender or sexual orientation.Here on own our city streets thousands men and women have no place they can call home because of economic inequalities and injustice.All these years after Luke and Blake offered such prophetic visions we’re still living in times that demand the radical truth of the Gospel.It’s our turn to share the story of Christ’s reconciling love and we know it.It’s our turn to create images of God’s new realm where everyone is welcomed.

“I just painted life the way I’d like it to be,” is what Norman Rockwell said to that interviewer at his home in the Berkshires.How are we going to paint this picture?How will we give enduring life to the amazing truth of God’s love?

Let us pray.

Holy God, the way you abide with us changes everything.The way you welcome us into your midst with such love and care transforms our very beings.Help us to share that love.Use us, work through us, that we may express your truth in ourlives.For we come as humble servants, O God; we come wanting to be a part of your creation, your new era through Christ, Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of us all.

Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Luke 6: 1-11

One Sabbath while Jesus was going through the grain fields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?He entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?”Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

On another Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him.Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.”He got up and stood there.Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?”After looking around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.”He did so, and his hand was restored.But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.