“Blessing”
October 6, 2024
Rev. Rebecca Migliore
Okay, Divorce. What a topic for a Sunday morning, when we are celebrating World Communion Sunday! Especially in a country where a substantial number of marriages end in divorce. Especially because divorce is often accompanied by feelings of hurt and sorrow and anger. Whenever this story comes up in the lectionary, preachers have to make a decision—do I preach on this? Will half the people in my congregation tune out before I even begin? Why would Jesus bring this up?
And the answer is, Jesus didn’t bring it up. Those who were testing him, who were trying to trap him, asked “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Let’s remember the climate here. Herod had married his brother’s wife, Herodias, after she had divorced him (allowed in Roman law). And John the Baptist had preached against this divorce, in fact, it was a major factor that led to his death. So, these “testers” were asking a politically charged and potentially dangerous question.
Jesus, never one to shy away from a fight, negotiates his way around this minefield by pointing out that Moses was the one to create the divorce law, even though, from the beginning, God saw that humans needed community (maybe because they are created in the image of God?), that humans needed each other, and one of the creation stories even has God creating one human from the other. So, the ideal, in Eden, is for us to find a partner, and “what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
But we all know that we do not live in God’s ideal world, and so, Moses, created boundaries if separation, if divorce, was needed. And those boundaries included that it should not be done frivolously, because in the ancient world, as is often true today, divorce creates vulnerable people (mostly women and children).
In the ancient world, women and children were essentially property of the husband, the father, to do with as he willed. Without a male protector, a woman, and certainly a child, were in jeopardy.
Jesus repeatedly lifts up children as models for us. Let’s recap the last few weeks: “Who is the greatest among us disciples?” Answer: Jesus picks up a little child and says, “Whoever welcomes one such child, welcomes me…”
“Shouldn’t we stop others using your name?” Answer: Jesus, still holding that child says, “if any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin---WOE to you…” (Remember the litany of body parts?)
And today’s question: “Should we keep the kids away from you when you’re talking?” Answer: “Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kin(g)dom of God belongs.”
Maybe it is because Jesus wants to protect as many vulnerable people as possible that he speaks harshly about those who get divorced, though it is interesting that he speaks both about men and women divorcing as if it were an equally common place. It was not. And although I have no proof, I wonder if his words equating divorce with adultery is another form of hyperbole—much like cutting off hands and feet, or plucking out eyes.
All this testing, all this talking, all this “adult” stuff that some people make the most important thing in life takes Jesus away from what he has been trying to teach them (and to teach us). Who are we as disciples? We are to stand, arms open wide, to welcome children, to welcome those looked down upon by society, to welcome those who are vulnerable into our midst. Who are we as disciples? We are the ones to be the voice of the voiceless, the protector of those who might come to harm, the barrier between the world and any who need sanctuary. And finally, who are we? We are to be like children. God’s children. Together, like a family.
And to demonstrate, Jesus picks up a child, (are you getting the visuals? Everywhere Jesus goes it seems he gathers children to himself). And he lays hands on them, and blesses them.
And in my mind, I hear the words of “Sabbath Prayer” from the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
May the Lord protect and defend you.
May He always shield you from shame.
May you come to be/In Israel a shining name.
May you be like Ruth and like Esther.
(and if there had been any boys in the family, they would have added, May you be like Ephraim and Menasheh)
May you be deserving of praise.
Strengthen them, Oh Lord,
And keep them from the strangers' ways…
May the Lord protect and defend you.
May the Lord preserve you from pain.
Favor them, Oh Lord, with happiness and peace.
Oh, hear our Sabbath prayer. Amen.
This beautiful song is a direct descendant of a Jewish tradition handed down through the ages—a blessing that parents bestow upon their children at each and every Sabbath meal. A blessing that often contains what we call the Aaronic blessing, a version of which you are probably familiar with: “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord be kind and gracious to you. May the Lord look upon you with favor, and grant you peace, now and forever, Amen.”
I was struck by this tableau—Jesus, surrounded by children, picking them up, laying hands on them, blessing them. Isn’t that what we as people should be doing—instead of trying to win arguments or trick opponents into making mistakes, or rising up the ladder of success, or all the other things that the world makes us think are important.
Isn’t that what the church should be focused on—finding ways to bless others, finding ways to gather together—not necessarily in worship but in everyday life. What if we were to insert the idea that we were blessed to be a blessing into our Micah pledge?
What does the Lord require of us? To do justice, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God, and to be a blessing even as we have been blessed (especially to those who need it so much).
What if Jesus’ talk of divorce is more than just the tragedy of an individual couple? What if his talk about God’s ideal for the micro family is also a plea for the macro family, the world family? What if we talked about the split of Christians into innumerable denominations as a divorce that needed to be healed? What if we talked about the rending of relationships across the globe, the acrimony and bitterness and greed and hate that we witness, that we might even participate in, as a divorce from the vision that God had of earth in the first place?
What if we could see, on this World Communion Sunday, the blessing of Paul’s vision that it is together we are the body of Christ? Not just us together as UPC, but us together as Americans and Haitians, and Italians and Koreans, and immigrants and indigenous peoples, you get the idea. We get so caught up in our differences, that we fail to hold onto our commonality.
That we are all God’s children.
That we all live on this beautiful planet.
That it will take all of us working together to bring about God’s vision for us: Shalom.
So, what are we, UPC, doing in our world as a response to Jesus’ teaching about who we are? Here are a few examples.
We are having a Harvest Fair this Saturday, a time of celebration of pumpkins and leaves and gathering together—a time to encourage creativity, to enjoy the laughter and murmur of children, to outreach to the community. How can you help? We are setting up at 10am on Friday morning, to move tables around and decorate and put out crafts. OR You can show up on Sat., with kids in tow if you have them available—to have a good time, to help hand out refreshments, to lend a hand with crafts or run a game.
We are finishing up our Peace and Global Witness offering this morning. You still have time to give to this national offering (mark your check, or give on Vanco). You still have time to bring in personal care items that are needed at the Food Pantry.
And this morning, I’m inviting you to think about the southern region of our country which is trying to recover from Helene. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance people are already on the ground helping out. And they have given out almost all of the clean-up kits that they had on hand. The easiest and best way of helping out is to give money. I’ve asked Ozzie to put a Disaster Relief Heading in the Vanco App (it appears at the bottom). PDA says it costs them $78 to buy, assemble, and ship a single kit. We remember how long it took us to recover from Sandy. Any amount will go directly to helping those most in need.
And this Thursday, Ann Marie and I are going to hear about a program called “This Child Here” a validated ministry of the PC(USA) in Ukraine, focusing on women and children who have been displaced. I’ll have more information on that soon.
As Jesus taught us, May we share our blessings far and wide. A/A
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