TITLE: How to Love ISIS…

and Muslims, the IRS, Your Ex, That Other Political Party (and all those politicians), the killer from the Pulse (and that other one from Dallas), and the driver on I-4 (you know the one).

Psalm 137

Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem

¹By the rivers of Babylon—
    there we sat down and there we wept
    when we remembered Zion.
²On the willows^[^a^] there
    we hung up our harps.
³For there our captors
    asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴How could we sing the Lord’s song
    in a foreign land?
⁵If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    let my right hand wither!
⁶Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
    above my highest joy.

⁷Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
    the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
    Down to its foundations!”
⁸O daughter Babylon, you devastator!^[^b^]
    Happy shall they be who pay you back
    what you have done to us!
⁹Happy shall they be who take your little ones
    and dash them against the rock!

Luke 6

²⁷“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. ³⁰Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you.
³²“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.^[e] Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Our Old Testament lesson is a wonderful Psalm that has often been put to music. It is written by someone in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir of the Old Testament days.

Long before Christ, the Temple of Jerusalem had the best musicians. The Temple was a glorious place.

Then came Nebuchadnezzar. He defeats Israel. Over a period of time, things get worse and worse for God’s chosen people, and eventually the best and the brightest of the land are removed from their homes and forced to go to Babylon where they live the rest of their lives in exile. They will die far from home. Their children will die far from home. Their grandchildren and great grandchildren will live and die in this foreign land.

By removing the best and the brightest, Nebuchadnezzar knew that he was removing from Israel the leadership of any resistance.

Among the best and brightest were the great musicians of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Psalm 137 describes the journey they were forced to make as refugees.

¹By the rivers of Babylon—
    there we sat down and there we wept
    when we remembered Zion, the Temple in Jerusalem.
²On the willows there
    we hung up our harps.
³For there our captors
    asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?

Those words still sung today.

What is NOT sung today are the closing words of this very short Psalm.

⁸O daughter Babylon, you devastator!
    Happy shall they be who pay you back
    what you have done to us!
⁹Happy shall they be who take your little babies
    and dash them against the rock!

What an awful image.

What kind of person would take an infant baby, dash it on a boulder until the skull cracked? What kind of person would celebrate in song the killing of innocent people?

It is a terrible image, but it is an image of humanity.

When we have been mistreated by an enemy, when we have been abused and victimized and seen someone come into our lives who have done terrible things, it is only human that we do terrible things back to them.

Fight fire with fire! Eye for an eye! You hurt me and my family, I will destroy you.

But here comes Jesus who spoils all of our fun of getting even…

In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus said, “You have heard it said, ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies…”

That thing about loving others in the Bible? Jesus was serious about that. He won’t let us have any exceptions.

Who is my enemy?

Ponder that for a moment. Picture that person in your mind.

That guy at work who makes everything so difficult and who takes credit for your work?

Your boss perhaps?

Your landlord?

Your next door neighbor with the loud music?

That driver on I-4?

Ex spouse?

Abusive parent?

Bully at school? Either the one from last semester or the one that after 30 years you still cannot forget.

All those people of that other political party – you know, the one you are not in.

All of THEM – whoever THEY are. Blacks, whites, straight people, gay people, immigrants, red necks, those know it alls with doctorates or the ignorant who didn’t have as much schooling as you did ---- that list can go on forever.

That guy who killed all those people at the Pulse Nightclub?

The guy who murdered those police officers in Dallas?

All those people in ISIS?

Logic would seem that there are some who simply do not deserve to be loved by us.

And here comes Jesus who tells us we have to love our neighbor as ourselves, and he will not let us get away with exempting anyone from being included in that list.

Christianity is difficult. It is not easy. And the center piece of our faith is that we love others – even when, especially when it becomes difficult.

In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus said, “You have heard it said, ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies…”

Or even better – take a look at how Jesus puts it in Luke, chapter 6: “But I say to you that listen,” because we all know that that many times we block out some of what Jesus says.

“But I say to you that listen, love your enemies.”

There is no footnote saying, “except for….”

W. C. Fields was an atheist who did not think very highly of the Bible, but in his last days of life one of his friends found him on his death bed – WITH a Bible! When his friend asked what he was doing reading the Bible, W. C. Fields said, “Ah yes, I’m looking for loopholes!”

Sorry – there are no loopholes here.

IF you are serious about being a follower of Jesus Christ, you have to love other people.

John put if very straightforward in his first letter in the New Testament, I John, chapter 4: “Those who say, “I love God,” but hate others….

are liars…”

Yikes! Raise your hand – how many folks are looking forward to going to heaven and telling God you loved him, and then hearing him call you a liar!

That’s rough!

Then John continues and poses the question, “those who do not love a person whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.”

OK, given that the list of enemies is long – or short – how do we do that?

How does one love one’s enemy?

Let me give you three things you can do to show love to your enemy.

1. Pray for your enemies

Jesus said in our New Testament lesson from Luke:

I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Now granted, in the Old Testament lesson the way the musicians prayed for their enemies was to envision that someone would come along and take their babies and dash their heads on the rocks until they were dead.

Does that count in praying for our enemies?

Psalm 109 is especially vicious.

⁸May his days be few;
    may another seize his position.
⁹May his children be orphans,
    and his wife a widow.
¹⁰May his children wander about and beg;
    may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit.
¹¹May the creditor seize all that he has;
    may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
¹²May there be no one to do him a kindness,
    nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
¹³May his posterity be cut off;

And when the Psalmist writes, “May his posterity be cut off,” he is referring to a man’s….

Well, the point is, these are mean words.

Is that they way we should pray for our enemies?

Well, it may be where an honest person might start, but that is not the goal.

When we are in prayer, we are in the presence of God. We become aware of the presence of God. And what is God?

God is love.

John in his first letter in the New Testament said, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

If prayer is to be aware of the presence of God, then prayer will help dissipate some of the hate you may feel.

Your prayer may start with a vindictiveness, but if it can at least move to a simple, “God, be present with our enemies, and may they come to know you.” That alone will at least be a beginning.

So – number 1: Pray for your enemies!

Step 2:

And by the way, if you think step one is hard, wait until you get a load of step two:

2. Forgive your enemies

Forgive your enemies.

Forgive???

You know, praying that their babies are dashed on rocks may be a lot easier that this one.

Every Sunday we say the Lord’s Prayer together.

In Luke’s Gospel, when Jesus teaches the Lord’s Prayer he comes to the end of the prayer and says this, reflecting on that line, “forgive us, as we forgive others…”

¹⁴For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; ¹⁵but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

You see, if we are really serious about accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our LORD and savior, then we have to be serious about forgiving others.

Every one of us has sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.

Jesus died for you and your forgiveness.

But Jesus also gave his life to die for that driver on I-4 who cuts you off, for that bully, for that murderer, for that Nazi, that Klansman, that young kid who right now is on the Internet embracing the teachings of ISIS.

How can we possibly look at the people whom Jesus loved so much that he gave his life for them, and not find the courage to forgive them as God has forgiven you?

Now there is such a thing as Cheap Grace.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Christian who lived at another time of great evil. He came to believe that in order to love, he had to fight the enemy, which was for him not ISIS, but Nazis in his homeland of Germany. He was here in America, safe on a university campus, and yet he was inspired to go to Germany to attempt to kill Hitler.

It didn’t work out, and Bonhoeffer was arrested and executed by the Nazis.

Bonhoeffer considered this business of forgiveness and whether or not to forgive one who does not repent.

After all, Jesus forgave one thief on the cross because he repented, but the thief on the other cross did not repent, but ridiculed Jesus, and never heard those words of forgiveness.

Bonhoeffer wrote in his great work, THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP, about Cheap Grace and Costly Grace. Bonhoeffer didn’t just write about the cost of discipleship, but he lived it, and at the age of 39, died for it.

“Cheap grace,” wrote Bonhoeffer, “is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Come to think of it, perhaps this is what we do with step one – the one about praying for our enemy. “Lord, help my enemy to know you and to repent.”

OK – step one, pray for your enemies; step two, forgive them; one more step I want to give you today…

3. Do good to your enemies.

Do good to your enemies.

This goes back all the way to the Old Testament. In all of those laws of Moses there is one in Exodus 23:5 that gives us an example: “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.”

And don’t get comfortable by thinking that this is easy because we don’t have any friends OR enemies who might have a donkey, let alone a donkey in trouble.

The idea is clear – we have to treat our enemies with respect and human decency.

In other words, we don’t want to become like our enemy.

In our New Testament lesson, Jesus in Luke said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

In Ephesians, chapter 4, we read this: ³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Consider what happened between Turkey and Greece. For decades they were bitter enemies. They fought a war in 1897, another in 1912, another in 1914, another in 1919. And throughout the 20^th Century there were skirmishes and bitterness. Often the pilot of one country’s jet would be shot down and killed by a pilot of the other country and the two nations were always close to war.

Then came 1999 and a massive earthquake in Turkey. That one was followed by another destructive earthquake just a few days later.

Casualties were in the tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands were homeless.

And the first nation to come to the aid of Turkey – was Greece. The first workers, the first firefighters, the first rescue teams, the first medical personnel – all from Greece.

Now here is an interesting bit of history. One month later there was another earthquake. This time in Greece. And it while Turkey was still digging itself out of the rubble, they were the first to go to the aid of Greece.

Since then, there has been no serious threat to the peace between the two nations. Even when a military jet from Greece and one from Turkey collided not long ago, killing one pilot and injuring the other, the nations agreed not to let the tragedy interrupt their growing peace.

Peter said in his New Testament letter, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9).

We see something similar in Paul’s letter to the Romans. “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.” Romans 12:17.

After World War I, the Allies were victorious and treated the vanquished enemies with harshness that many historians say gave rise to Nazism and Hitler, leading into World War II.

After World War II, Allies treated the enemy powers differently. General George Marshall created a plan to rebuild Europe – both the areas of our allies and those of our enemies. We had done a lot of that destruction ourselves. General Marshall is one of the few military leaders to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

To treat the enemy with viciousness may defeat the enemy, but often creates more enemies for the future.

When we treat our worst enemy the way that inhumane enemy would treat us, we become inhuman.

And it is not just on the battlefield. Everyday health care workers in hospitals have to care for those who have been arrested for terrible crimes.

And even in our simple relationships with the driver who cuts us off on the road, what does it do if we cut that person off in return? Both drivers are at risk of getting killed and killing the innocent by stander.

To return evil for evil is to perpetuate evil. It builds walls instead of bridges.

The goal of the Christian is not to destroy our enemy, but to turn the heart of the enemy to become our friend.

Nations did this in World War II. Germany and Japan are now close allies and trade partners with America.

When I was 17 years old, the Vietnam War came to a close, much to the relief of those who were about to turn 18 and face being drafted. I never imagined that Americans would engage in trade with Vietnam, or go there for vacation – but they do.

Even in Star Trek, the Klingons eventually become friends with the Federation!

In fiction and in history, enemies can become friends.

Jesus calls us to love our enemies. We cannot close our ears to this difficult saying.

So let us love the young people whose hearts and minds are being stolen by ISIS. It is, after all, only our love that will turn them around.

And let us love the Muslims, the IRS, Your Ex, That Other Political Party (and all those politicians), the killer from the Pulse (and that other one from Dallas), and the driver on I-4 (you know the one).

Let us pray for them, let us forgive the repentant enemy, and let us not return their hate with our hate.

Dr. W. Maynard Pittendreigh

Ministers may feel free to use some or all of this sermon in their own ministries as long as they do not publish in print or on the Internet without ascribing credit to the author.

Graceful Sermons

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

How to Love ISIS… Psalm 137, Luke 6:27-36

Psalm 137

Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem

Bonhoeffer wrote in his great work, THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP, about Cheap Grace and Costly Grace. Bonhoeffer didn’t just write about the cost of discipleship, but he lived it, and at the age of 39, died for it.

Come to think of it, perhaps this is what we do with step one – the one about praying for our enemy. “Lord, help my enemy to know you and to repent.”

OK – step one, pray for your enemies; step two, forgive them; one more step I want to give you today…

Do good to your enemies.

This goes back all the way to the Old Testament. In all of those laws of Moses there is one in Exodus 23:5 that gives us an example: “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.”

And don’t get comfortable by thinking that this is easy because we don’t have any friends OR enemies who might have a donkey, let alone a donkey in trouble.

The idea is clear – we have to treat our enemies with respect and human decency.

In other words, we don’t want to become like our enemy.

In our New Testament lesson, Jesus in Luke said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

In Ephesians, chapter 4, we read this: ³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Then came 1999 and a massive earthquake in Turkey. That one was followed by another destructive earthquake just a few days later.

Casualties were in the tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands were homeless.

And the first nation to come to the aid of Turkey – was Greece. The first workers, the first firefighters, the first rescue teams, the first medical personnel – all from Greece.

Now here is an interesting bit of history. One month later there was another earthquake. This time in Greece. And it while Turkey was still digging itself out of the rubble, they were the first to go to the aid of Greece.

Since then, there has been no serious threat to the peace between the two nations. Even when a military jet from Greece and one from Turkey collided not long ago, killing one pilot and injuring the other, the nations agreed not to let the tragedy interrupt their growing peace.

Peter said in his New Testament letter, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9).

We see something similar in Paul’s letter to the Romans. “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.” Romans 12:17.

After World War I, the Allies were victorious and treated the vanquished enemies with harshness that many historians say gave rise to Nazism and Hitler, leading into World War II.

To treat the enemy with viciousness may defeat the enemy, but often creates more enemies for the future.

When we treat our worst enemy the way that inhumane enemy would treat us, we become inhuman.

And it is not just on the battlefield. Everyday health care workers in hospitals have to care for those who have been arrested for terrible crimes.

And even in our simple relationships with the driver who cuts us off on the road, what does it do if we cut that person off in return? Both drivers are at risk of getting killed and killing the innocent by stander.

To return evil for evil is to perpetuate evil. It builds walls instead of bridges.

The goal of the Christian is not to destroy our enemy, but to turn the heart of the enemy to become our friend.

Nations did this in World War II. Germany and Japan are now close allies and trade partners with America.

When I was 17 years old, the Vietnam War came to a close, much to the relief of those who were about to turn 18 and face being drafted. I never imagined that Americans would engage in trade with Vietnam, or go there for vacation – but they do.

Even in Star Trek, the Klingons eventually become friends with the Federation!

In fiction and in history, enemies can become friends.

Jesus calls us to love our enemies. We cannot close our ears to this difficult saying.

Let us pray for them, let us forgive the repentant enemy, and let us not return their hate with our hate.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

How to Love ISIS… Psalm 137, Luke 6:27-36

Psalm 137

Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem

Bonhoeffer wrote in his great work, THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP, about Cheap Grace and Costly Grace. Bonhoeffer didn’t just write about the cost of discipleship, but he lived it, and at the age of 39, died for it.

Come to think of it, perhaps this is what we do with step one – the one about praying for our enemy. “Lord, help my enemy to know you and to repent.”

OK – step one, pray for your enemies; step two, forgive them; one more step I want to give you today…

Do good to your enemies.

This goes back all the way to the Old Testament. In all of those laws of Moses there is one in Exodus 23:5 that gives us an example: “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.”

And don’t get comfortable by thinking that this is easy because we don’t have any friends OR enemies who might have a donkey, let alone a donkey in trouble.

The idea is clear – we have to treat our enemies with respect and human decency.

In other words, we don’t want to become like our enemy.

In our New Testament lesson, Jesus in Luke said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

In Ephesians, chapter 4, we read this: 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Then came 1999 and a massive earthquake in Turkey. That one was followed by another destructive earthquake just a few days later.

Casualties were in the tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands were homeless.

And the first nation to come to the aid of Turkey – was Greece. The first workers, the first firefighters, the first rescue teams, the first medical personnel – all from Greece.

Now here is an interesting bit of history. One month later there was another earthquake. This time in Greece. And it while Turkey was still digging itself out of the rubble, they were the first to go to the aid of Greece.

Since then, there has been no serious threat to the peace between the two nations. Even when a military jet from Greece and one from Turkey collided not long ago, killing one pilot and injuring the other, the nations agreed not to let the tragedy interrupt their growing peace.

Peter said in his New Testament letter, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9).

We see something similar in Paul’s letter to the Romans. “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.” Romans 12:17.

After World War I, the Allies were victorious and treated the vanquished enemies with harshness that many historians say gave rise to Nazism and Hitler, leading into World War II.

To treat the enemy with viciousness may defeat the enemy, but often creates more enemies for the future.

When we treat our worst enemy the way that inhumane enemy would treat us, we become inhuman.

And it is not just on the battlefield. Everyday health care workers in hospitals have to care for those who have been arrested for terrible crimes.

And even in our simple relationships with the driver who cuts us off on the road, what does it do if we cut that person off in return? Both drivers are at risk of getting killed and killing the innocent by stander.

To return evil for evil is to perpetuate evil. It builds walls instead of bridges.

The goal of the Christian is not to destroy our enemy, but to turn the heart of the enemy to become our friend.

Nations did this in World War II. Germany and Japan are now close allies and trade partners with America.

When I was 17 years old, the Vietnam War came to a close, much to the relief of those who were about to turn 18 and face being drafted. I never imagined that Americans would engage in trade with Vietnam, or go there for vacation – but they do.

Even in Star Trek, the Klingons eventually become friends with the Federation!

In fiction and in history, enemies can become friends.

Jesus calls us to love our enemies. We cannot close our ears to this difficult saying.

Let us pray for them, let us forgive the repentant enemy, and let us not return their hate with our hate.

In Ephesians, chapter 4, we read this: ³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.