|
First
Reading
|
Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Jeremiah 17:5-10 |
Psalm 1 |
1
Corinthians 15:12–20 |
Luke
6:17–26
|
There is a curious emphasis on Darwin’s birthday this weekend and apparently some would like to create a large wedge between the so-called hard facts of science and the beliefs of faith. The process usually denigrates faith, especially the faith of organized religion, but don’t be intimidated. The Bible is, in itself, an evolutionary document. Abraham and Sarah grew, their experiences profoundly changed them and they became entirely different people by the end of their lives. They started out as a young couple to a new land and ended as the matriarch and patriarch of an entirely new nation. David, the virile and innocent young shepherd, became the corrupt and doddering aged king. The men and woman who followed Jesus had their lives transformed by the Gospel. Beware of those who wish to trap the Bible in an innocuous corner and who suggest that the only values that should be public in the world are those that are based on the so-called facts of hard science.
The reality is that Genesis, which was never intended to be a scientific document, teaches profound respect for the earth. It holds that in the created order, we humans have been given the responsibility and privilege to be the guardians and protectors of the earth, and that life should always be handled with respect and value. That is not a scientific fact. Rather that is wisdom based on faith. Yes it is true that organized religion has been guilty of some awful things, but to offer a blanket condemnation of faith for the world’s ills is as factious as blaming science for global warming or nuclear proliferation. Indeed there is no inherent conflict between science and faith unless one with a hidden agenda of animosity creates one.
Indeed it is frighteningly obvious that the future health of the earth depends not solely on better living through chemistry, but on deeper appreciation of the values faith teaches. Some of you will recall that several years ago, all Cornell freshmen along with the larger community were invited to read the book Frankenstein,1 that tellingly warned of the human tragedy that unbridled pride coupled with technological brilliance brings. Frankenstein was an early warning against those who hold that just because we are capable of doing it, we inevitably should. Nonetheless, as history has proven, those who are full of themselves and whose main goal in life is to accumulate more and more rarely heed the lessons of Biblical faith or warning of Frankenstein.
The Sermon on the Mount is not based on hard scientific facts derived from research in the laboratory. It is, however, a guide of how research may be used to benefit all humanity rather to enslave or increase the misery of the powerless. The Sermon on the Mount is about the values of how we use our skills, intellect, and gifts.
Jesus used a word that is translated as blessed, in terms of those who are likely to sustain healthy and just relationships. Those who are able to have healthy relationships with God and others, are not poor in the sense of being exhausted or empty, but are the opposite of arrogant and driven with pride. In contrast to the world that says, “just worry about number one” and “get all you can”. Genuine relationships involve having some empty space rather than being always full. We won’t be able to accept the gift of God’s love or the loving gifts of others if we never allow them any space to maneuver.
Healthy relationships are cultivated by those who mourn, not in the sense of being depressed and morbid, but in contrast to being conceited. It means being aware of the innate limitations we all have. It involves recognizing the wounds that lostness and brokenness fester. Rather than being vindictive or bitter, Jesus teaches us to be hungry and yearn for reconciliation. Jesus warns us that just getting angry or blaming others rarely heals wounds or remedies injustice. Moreover, the shortcuts of revenge and violence get us more tangled in a thick thicket of thorns, and never further on down the road to understanding and genuine peace.
The Pax Romana of Jesus’ time was the peace of an empire which had practically eliminated pirates and open warfare between nations. The sheer size, universal deployment, and sharp efficiency of Rome’s armies intimidated all but the most radical or criminal. Yet Jesus conveyed the sense of the Hebrew shalom, a peace of reconciliation, of breaking down walls, of building bridges and of drawing people together. It isn’t as easy to build or maintain as a Roman peace, but genuine relationships are built not on the absence of hostility by imposition of overwhelming power, but the growth of mutual respect and goodwill.
The Sermon on the Mount gives us courage to face an intimidating world that wishes to shove faith issues into an innocuous corner. It names the false choices and paths that lead to tragedy. We can celebrate with the world with an easy conscience when its power and expertise promotes a positive type of peace. We can hold up the example of healthy relationships even if we ourselves often fall short. We can warn that the sole pursuit of power becomes infected with the fatal virus of pride. We can also insist that knowledge of hard facts is not the same thing as the exercise of wisdom and is usually a dangerous thing solely by itself. We can note that scientific inquiry can be done in the spirit of contempt as well as curiosity, and with the motive of enslaving as well as freeing.
Yes, we need scientists like Darwin and we can celebrate their insights. Yet as we cross the threshold of a new world era, we also need the long legacy of the values of faith if humanity is ever to benefit. That is why remembering the Sermon of the Mount and celebrating the values of faith may be a very appropriate way of honoring Darwin’s birthday.
1Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, 1831
And I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.
