Laboring for Justice

“Laboring For Justice”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

September 1, 2013

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

Hebrews 13:1-16

Luke 14:1-14

This man was a socialist. He was pro-choice. He believed strongly in separation of church and state. He advocated for the poor and worked for economic equality. His right-hand man was an openly gay man. This man is now held up as a hero in our nation. He even has a national holiday named after him. He was named “Michael” at birth but was renamed Martin after the German Protestant Reformer Martin Luther of the 16^th century. This man was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

         When talking about Dr. King, we wonder what new we can say. I could talk forever about what an American icon he is. I could praise him for his leadership and leave it at that. Instead, I chose to give you the lesser-known facts of his life.

         Dr. King was not a traditionalist. He was leery of traditionalism, especially considering that the traditions he knew came from a nation that had been run exclusively by White men since its founding. Yes, he was a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But I believe he truly understood the subversive nature of the Gospel. King did not seek to use the message of Jesus or the authority of the Bible to rule over anyone, as people have done for two millennia. Instead, King sought to liberate African Americans and other oppressed peoples through his understanding of Christ the Liberator, which is the way of Nonviolent Resistance.

         Yes, his enemies tried to tear him down by calling him a Communist, a homosexual sympathizer, and a false prophet. But King was surrounded by those who heard Truth and readily accepted it. They were hungry for freedom and King spoke eloquently about its arrival.

         When he spoke as the mouth of God from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 50 years ago this week in 1963 when he was only 34 years old, he proved to all good souls that societal equality is indeed the Economy of God.

         Jesus demonstrated this exact thing in the Gospel reading from Luke we just heard. In this text, Jesus turns society on its head. In other words, Jesus “queers” societal norms. To “queer” something is not to make it homosexual. We all know that’s not possible. In the definition of Queer Theory, to “queer” something is to transcend societal boundaries, to turn injustice on its head. In the Luke text, Jesus is sitting with religious officials whose job was to make sure that the Jewish law was followed to the T. In short, they were extreme legalists. Their intention was good, but their impact was horrible and Jesus knew it. So Jesus did not hesitate setting them right.

         To set the scene, know that in ancient times the dinner table was a sacred thing. There was a specific place at the table for certain people depending on their relationship to the host. You may have had a similar arrangement in your home growing up. “Don’t sit in grandpa’s chair… or else!” But this was much more serious. Everyone invited to the table had to be on the same plane of the social hierarchy; no peasants or disabled people at the table. And in that game, the host held the power to rearrange the seating.

         Jesus stirred things up at that dinner party. He pointed out vocally that some people were taking the better seats first. He instructs them to instead allow the host to invite them to those seats. In an instruction on humility, Jesus tells them to take the lowest place. This is where we hear the famous line that sticks in many of our memories: “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Try using this as a mantra in prayer this week.) This philosophy is not only the opposite of what was assumed in Jesus’ time, but also what is assumed in our time.

         We know the social inequality of our time. I have demonstrated to you before that the top one percent of our citizens owns forty percent of the nation’s wealth and the top twenty percent owns eighty percent of the nation’s wealth. Our capitalist system encourages everyone to strive for as much wealth as we can get. We see some people make it big on TV. They make it out of poverty, so we think we may just be able to break out of the lower classes too. We are told that hard work will pay off. But does it?

         Jesus said, “In my society, no, it doesn’t.” Dr. King said, “In my society, it doesn’t.” That doesn’t mean that we all shouldn’t work hard and take care of our own. What it does mean is that the system is still unjust and has been unjust for far too long. Fast food workers have been on strike around the nation for weeks now demanding higher pay because they can’t afford to feed their families; even with the very food they serve. Farm workers across the country (the vast majority Mexican immigrants) make minimum wage doing backbreaking work that the vast majority of Americans wouldn’t dare to try. I don’t know anyone who would take minimum wage to pick and carry hundreds of pounds of oranges a day. And when a living wage is demanded, billionaire CEOs make the excuse that they could not afford to pay a penny more. The reality is that they could double every worker’s pay and barely feel the change. (The figure I heard most recently was 2% of profits.)

         Today is known as Labor Sunday, the day before Labor Day. Since 1894, Labor Day has been observed as a day of gratitude for workers. It’s a terrible irony that many workers will still return to work tomorrow while others vacation.

         Jesus would be raising hell over this kind of abuse. Dr. King did raise hell in his time over this kind of abuse. The March on Washington in 1963 was called “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” Jobs were a monumental struggle for lower class folks and especially people of color in King’s time and in some ways that has not changed in fifty years. President Obama spoke from the same spot at the Lincoln Memorial King did fifty years ago this past week. He made this powerful statement, “To secure the gains this country has made requires constant vigilance, not complacency. Whether it's by challenging those who erect new barriers to the vote or ensuring that the scales of justice work equally for all in the criminal justice system and not simply a pipeline from underfunded schools to overcrowded jails -- it requires vigilance.”

         I do not attribute individual wrongdoing to the gross number of African Americans in prison today. Individual wrongdoing has been fueled since the moment African feet touched American soil by intentional social inequality. I hear from some bigots statements such as, “The Blacks are ruining this country. Why can’t they get their lives together?” The answer is plain and simple. Social inequality has never disappeared. Wages have never been made equal. Rights have never been fully upheld. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has not been fulfilled in this time and place.

         Jesus tells us in a bold instruction who should be invited to the table: the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. In other words, the most marginalized of society. God’s table is not a country club where the few are invited and the rest are locked out. The table of God is open to all who are willing to be humble and accept that ultimately, God is the only one in control. In fear, we scramble for control over each other, but in due time, we are all dust. (Donald Trump will ultimately be a pile of dust with a toupee :) ).

         The New Testament Book of Hebrews has the same message. I have always been intrigued by the second verse of Hebrews 13: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Do we welcome each new person here as if she were an angel sent by God? A homeless angel? A transgender angel? A physically disabled angel? A mentally disabled angel? God forbid, a heterosexual angel??

         Equality has not been attained in our government. That is a fact, not an opinion. The fact that the Supreme Court repealed part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 just weeks ago proves that there is much work for our legislators to do. It is our job as citizens of this country and as followers of the prophetic Jesus of Nazareth to pressure them to fight for full equality… But equality also starts at the grass roots.

         The Holy Spirit asks your heart today, “Who are you not inviting to the table of MCC New Haven because of your own prejudices or fears?” That’s some tough love, I know. But the Holy Ghost doesn’t mess around! She has been wrestling with humanity for millennia to fulfill God’s vision of a Commonwealth where all are cared for and shown their sacred value and immeasurable worth.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you;” (Like Dr. King) “consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” What does it mean for us to imitate Dr. King’s faith today? I think President Obama answered that question in his speech this past week. He said, “Because they marched, America became more free and more fair, not just for African-Americans but for women and Latinos, Asians and Native Americans, for Catholics, Jews and Muslims, for gays, for Americans with disabilities. America changed for you and for me.”

We are called to march each and every day. Marching is about showing your authentic self wherever you can. Those who filled the National Mall on that day in 1963 truly believed in equality and showed it in broad daylight. They had burned down the closet holding racial equality. The same can be said of those who marched in early gay pride parades. They burned down the closet of LGBT equality. Can you do the same? Will you be a Christian just in church on Sundays or will you be a Christian at work, at school, and on the street?

Prophets rarely give comforting words. Instead, they give us tough love in the form of challenges. We have a holy challenge on our hands to embody in this community. But I will remind you of this encouragement from Dr. King: “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” (Here’s another mantra for your prayer life.) May justice and peace come to our people, to the people of Syria, to the people of Russia, and to the whole world “soon and very soon” as we see the Commonwealth of God unfold before our eyes. Amen.