Mixed Up Politics

Second Sunday in Lent

Today I am going to focus on the lesson from Philippians. By now you know that I am preach strange sermons about politics. Well, the politics of the world are truly mixed up and Jesus shows us how to set politics right.

In The Gospel message today (Luke 13: 31-35) we see Herod the Fox who uses fear and violence, the world's politics, threatening Jesus the Mother Hen, who uses the politics of Love. These are two separate political worlds which are diametrical opposed to one another. Jesus is not afraid; he is like the hen who gathers her chicks under her wings and confronts the fox.

Philippians 3: 17-4:1

3:17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 3:18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 3:19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 3:21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

The ancient world was very good at imitating, in fact, ancient idolatry and worship was just that. Idolatry encouraged the examples of living set by the gods and goddesses. Notice that Paul does not say to the Philippians, "be yourself," rather he tells them and us to follow the example of Jesus. All those around them were following the example of the Greco-Roman gods and goddesses and were living toward their own destruction. Their gods and goddesses were their belly, that is their stomachs and the area south.

An economist, Victor Lebow, wrote in 1955 that our economics of consumption, the buying and selling will be converted into our spiritual rituals.

Our enormously productive economy… demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption… We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing rate. - Victor Lebow, 1955

He predicted accurately. Every month it seems that the stores have a special reason to buy something. Shopping has become a religion. In Feb we have St. Valentine's Day, March it's St. Patrick's Day,. April it's Easter; our culture commemorates Jesus' Resurrection with chocolate, bunnies and eggs, in May it's Mother's Day and June it's Father's Day. The biggest shopping rite of course is at Christmas.

What Lebow was saying in 1955 has come to pass. Consumption is the way of life in our society. The goal of all of this, that is, where this all ends is destruction. We see the results of this destruction already in Global Warming, pollution and wars. We always have war and we can't seem to figure out how to stop them. Not just our current war in Iraq but throughout world history

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This is how it ends up. It doesn't have to end this way with war, pollution and Global Warming. With the help of God we can turn all of this around. Remember there are two Kings of Power: Fear and Love. Gandhi said it this way, " if God who is undefinable can be defined it is to say God is Truth attained through Love." Gandhi did not learn this on his own; he learned it through the teachings of Jesus Christ. In 1776 John Adams wrote: "Love and not Fear will be the source of the people's obedience." As you can see the Truth is known we have to live it.

Fear and Love are two kinds of power. As Paul wrote, "But our citizenship is in heaven." A better translation of this would be, "But our commonwealth is in heaven." The Emperor rule the Empire with Fear and Violence as opposed to a Commonwealth where everything is equal. The people of the Empire will do whatever the Emperor says to do and in fact they will worship the Empire so they won't be killed.

In a Commonwealth the people act on the love based on the concern for all, not what benefits them directly. It is similar to raising children with love. We do what is for their own good and not ours. The Empire is all about destruction and consumption. What the world needs now is a Commonwealth of love. As Burt Bacharach said, "what the world needs now is Love Sweet Love."

Brother's and Sister's we have to understand that the politics of Jesus must be adhered to, right now. Right now we are in danger of destroying nature through which God provides for us.