Bad News Motivation - Matthew 4 - Epiphany 3A

Bad News Motivation

Tony E Dillon Hansen

Reflection based upon Matthew 4:12-23, Psalm 27, Isaiah 9

Opening prayer.

Happy Lunar New (Rabbit) Year!

There are a few themes that can be lifted out of Mathew’s text as it references Isaiah, Jesus calls upon disciples to follow and the arrest of John. In the midst of all that, Jesus does something very human.  Following bad news about John, Jesus withdraws.

Why does Jesus do this? Anxiety, fear, sadness, or reflection? Could be all of this, but this gives us a notion of Jesus as human in a real sense because withdrawing at news like this is a perfectly human response. Am I next? What about my family and friends? What happens now?

In this moment, Jesus calls upon the words of Isaiah, “for those who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” We often read this during Advent and Christmas times, but read it with new eyes in the season of Epiphany.  

Through this text, Jesus observes the world around and finds motivation. It is time to do something.  Woe it is to have a good friend arrested and jailed. Woe is it to have modern saints (like MLK, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or great volunteers of UBFM) face adversity.

Speaking of MLK, we just celebrated the late doctor’s birthday and it is fitting perhaps that we read this lesson today.  People, like MLK, were thrown in prison for doing nothing more than speaking truth to power. Yes “Now is the time” for it still happens today. Shame on you oppressive manipulators (Putin).

Yet, with God we have life and we have voice. This life however is not always bright sunshine and easy paths, but this life pushes people to see beyond their misery. To see beyond the terrible and to see what is possible instead. This can be frightening, but even more, ever so exciting! 

Yes that is the crux of Isaiah’s message because we need to see, we need to observe that life with God is more than fanciful speeches and colorful robes - but life with truth, with love, with the peace and light of Christ. 

People may disagree on the ways we see God and how we come to God, but there is truth in God and there is possible. That life is real and ready for us to observe as well and for us to find sorely needed motivation.

Beloved, this is the lesson that those great people (who we mentioned moments ago) learned and taught. It can be too easy for us turn away from the truth and light - to discount all that could be -because we get complacent in our living, in our complaints, and comfortable in our misery.

Experiencing bad things like watching a friend, colleague, a real life person get CPR on the field makes us think. Suddenly, we realize that life is precious and living it needs something more than complacency. That experience motivated people all over the country to give generously to charity and to pray for the well-being of Damar Hamlin. Even though the Bills are not my favorite team, I am however a fan of good people and good works.

Still this begs the question: Why is it that we have to see or hear bad things before we are motivated ?  Why not provide sandwiches and burritos for homeless folks every week with us at UBFM?  We don’t need to wait for the next protest over injustice or wrongful deaths. We do not need to wait for an excuse to help people or to participate in  non-violent protest of those injustices. For people can always find another lame excuse to do nothing. 

Beloved, we do not need to wait for the next event to help people because being a part of God’s community, God’s church, we should be out there helping people find God through us and through our work. There are plenty of ways we can do this.

Loving God and following God may not be easy, but there is so much good that we get from it. That Beloved, needs no excuses because God gives us so much, and God is there - even when we turn away. 

Don’t just go home and close the scriptures until next week.  Don’t just leave God in the pews.  Take God and the light of Christ with you. Get up off the couch and let us together witness and live with God in this world! Find friends to help along side you, just like Jesus did with James and John -because friends can help keep you honest.

Let’s get to living in God’s kingdom here on Earth today! 

Offer the sandwich, the blanket, the coat. Walk with the widow, the parent, the brother; those who lost someone because we know what it is to lose someone too. Help and be with the child recovering from sickness or suffering adversity. Help the injured vet find purpose. Be with your neighbor in whatever way is needed. It can start with a smile because that can go a long way. Be the good that God knows you can be. 

Leave fear aside for a moment and go with confidence of God’s guidance before you.

What is your witness; how does God motivate you? Share with us so that we might learn.

God reveals to us, in these seasons, a path and light through darkness. God came to be with us so that we might be motivated to (as we say) “do church.” These are just a few of the many ways, and you know of even more.  

Let God reveal to you and move your heart this day, this hour. Like the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is my stronghold…” 

and that Beloved is…

Thanks Be to God.