Sermon: Bringing Back Hope from Indonesia

A sermon preached on Matthew 23:1-12.

I don’t know about you, I have been experiencing a lot of climate anxiety lately. Knowing what the world is like for the most vulnerable already, and what it will most likely be like for everyone in the future, is hard. It is compounded, too, by the genocide in Palestine and the waves of both Islamophobia and antisemitism that it has sparked in my community and elsewhere. While witnessing the mass movement of people around the world calling for a ceasefire, as well as those continuing to be on the front lines of climate action, is inspiring and encouraging, I still feel this current of anxiety and tension throughout my body.

Whenever I feel like this, I need to hear good news more than ever. The blessing of being a preacher is that I get to preach good news. My vocation calls me to read the words of our scripture and find the Word, find the Good News, in those words. I need the Good News more than ever. Maybe you do, too. Below is the sermon that I preached this past Sunday. May it soothe your heart and spirit today.

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Scripture Reading

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; ³ therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. ⁶ They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. ⁸ But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. ⁹ And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:1-12 NRSV)

Depok, Indonesia. Depok is a town outside of Jakarta. October 2023.

Bringing Back Hope from Indonesia

Sermon preached on November 12, 2023, at Rothwell United Church, Ottawa ON.

Let us pray:

God of Life,

May the words of my mouth

And the meditations of all our minds and hearts

Lead us deeper understanding of you

And the love you call us to live.

AMEN.

The Gospel reading that we heard this morning is a scathing one. In it, Jesus criticizes the hypocrisy of leaders who don’t act as they tell others to, and describes the model of servant leadership that he calls them and all of us to.  

There is a lot to consider in this reading, but I am drawn to one line in this passage in particular. My eyes keep returning to verse four:

“They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.”

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others. Ouch. That is quite the criticism. That is a sharp indictment of a leadership that is supposed to be the light-bearers, the way-finders, the, well, the leadership guiding a community in the ways of truth, righteousness, and justice.

 Jesus is accusing the religious leaders of the time of placing unfair burdens on the people, expectations of action and behaviour that they, themselves, are not doing. Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of being hypocrites, failing to practice what they teach.

Do any of you know of such hypocrites in the world today? 

The scribes and Pharisees were religious leaders who were concerned with the law of religious tradition; with what the laws were and how they were to be interpreted in the lives of the faithful. The writer of this Gospel makes it very clear that Jesus is not criticizing them for their role itself; Jesus says, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it” (Matt 23.2). Instead, he is calling out behaviour that is not limited to a particular group of people, but is universal in human behaviour; the tendency toward hypocrisy, and the misuse of authority that can occur when power becomes concentrated in the hands of a few.

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others.

As most of you know by now, I was away in Indonesia for a conference in October. There on behalf of the United Church, I am part of the Climate Justice Core Group of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the WCRC. The WCRC has declared the next ten years to be the Decade for Climate Justice, and so our group was tasked with writing a statement that would guide the WCRC’s focus and activities for the coming ten years.

Theologians, biblical scholars, and activists working in the realm of climate justice and faith were invited to a consultation on “Ecology, Economics, and Theology” to speak and spark discussion on the major issues, concerns, and theological dimensions of the twin issues of ecological crisis and economic injustice around the world.

The conference was incredible!

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